New! Issue 11 of the ASPR TRACIE Exchange (COVID-19 Resources August Update #2)

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Public Health Emergency

COVID-19 Resources: August Update #2

This Express highlights Issue 11 of The Exchange, new resources, and upcoming webinars. As we approach National Preparedness Month, we encourage our stakeholders to check out past issues of The Exchange, which focus on topics that continue to be relevant today (e.g., patient evacuation, planning for and responding to wildfires, crisis standards of care, and no-notice incidents). Please continue to access our Novel Coronavirus Resources Page and CDC’s Coronavirus webpage and reach out if you need technical assistance (TA).

New! The Exchange, Issue 11: Special Edition: COVID-19 Lessons Learned

In the seven months since a public health emergency was declared due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our stakeholders are rapidly learning key lessons, driving innovation and making significant adjustments to protect patient and staff health. We recognize that our readers may feel overwhelmed by the amount of information coming out, and we know it changes frequently; we chose to present this issue in a “digest format,” allowing you to access numerous articles, tools, quick sheets, and templates—all vetted by subject matter experts and listed by category.

New: Healthcare Coalition Infectious Disease Surge Annex Template

The 2019-2023 HPP Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) requires healthcare coalitions (HCCs) to develop a complimentary coalition-based infectious disease annex to their base medical surge/ trauma mass casualty response plan. The ASPR TRACIE HCC Infectious Disease Surge Annex Template aims to improve capacity and capabilities to manage a few patients with high-consequence pathogens or more patients during an epidemic or pandemic. Healthcare Coalitions are not required to use this template; however, HCCs are encouraged to utilize the template content in their planning process and tailor the template to meet their needs.

New: Interim Guidance: SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and Field Trauma Triage Principles

This document provides a brief overview of how COVID-19 impacts trauma triage for first responders, including emergency medical service, fire and rescue, and law enforcement.

Upcoming Webinars

Hidden Consequences: How the COVID Pandemic is Impacting Children (Webinar Series)

ASPR TRACIE and ASPR’s Pediatric Centers of Excellence are collaborating on a webinar series focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children. Topics will include impacts on child health and wellness, child emotional and social effects, the impact of COVID-19 on children with special healthcare needs, and how secondary/other disasters may affect children during the pandemic. The first webinar, focused on child health and wellness, will take place on September 30, 2020 from 1:30-2:45 PM ET. Register today!

Coming Soon—Maintaining Healthcare Safety during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Brief Presentations

As a follow up to the ASPR TRACIE webinar Ensuring Healthcare Safety Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic, we are partnering with the COVID-19 Healthcare Resilience Working Group and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality on a series of short presentations to be released in September. The brief webinars will feature healthcare professionals sharing their experiences as they worked through the operational realities of maintaining and prioritizing healthcare safety during COVID-19. Speakers will also describe how their organizations are addressing system-based issues with systematic solutions.

Sepsis and Emerging Infectious Diseases: Understanding the Connection

Join the Sepsis Alliance, and Amesh Adalja, MD, FIDSA, senior scholar from Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, for a one-hour discussion of the role of emerging infectious diseases, including COVID-19, which can lead to sepsis. The speaker will cover the historical relationship between coronaviruses and other pathogens and sepsis; assessing the need to escalate care; identifying at-risk patients; host-based diagnostics; and improved patient management strategies. This webinar is sponsored in part by the Solving Sepsis Program in the Division of Research, Innovation and Ventures (DRIVe) within ASPR’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. Register today!

COVID-19 Clinical Rounds Peer-to-Peer Virtual Communities of Practice are a collaborative effort between ASPR, the National Emerging Special Pathogen Training and Education Center (NETEC), and Project ECHO. These interactive virtual learning sessions aim to create a peer-to-peer learning network where clinicians from the U.S. and abroad who have experience treating patients with COVID-19 share their challenges and successes; a generous amount of time for participant Q & A is also provided. These webinar topics are covered every week:

EMS: Patient Care and Operations (Mondays, 12:00-1:00 PM ET)
Critical Care: Lifesaving Treatment and Clinical Operations (Tuesdays, 12:00-1:00 PM ET)
HHS Telemedicine Hack (each Wednesday, through 23 September). This 10-week learning community can help ambulatory providers accelerate telemedicine implementation. Register today!
Emergency Department: Patient Care and Clinical Operations (Thursdays, 12:00-1:00 PM ET; will not be held on August 27, 2020)

Keep up with ASPR!

Follow ASPR on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram to learn more about our public health and medical response in the field; the news on medical countermeasures to protect the nation; upcoming meetings and webinars; and resources to help you respond to COVID-19 and other heath security threats.