The ASPR TRACIE Express: March Update #2

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response

The Express: March 2022 (Update #2)

This issue of The Express highlights the following resources:

Please continue to access our Novel Coronavirus Resources Page, the National Institutes of Health Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Treatment Guidelines, and CDC’s Coronavirus webpage, and reach out if you need TA.

New! Strategies for Healthcare Workplace Violence Prevention: Risk Assessment and De-Escalation (Webinar)

Speakers highlighted the issue, explained recent changes in The Joint Commission's workplace violence standards, and demonstrated some examples that can be used in real-world situations in this workplace violence prevention webinar. Access the Q and A document from the webinar and check out the related ASPR TRACIE article Trends, Policies, and Protocols Related to Healthcare Workplace Violence for an overview of workplace violence and risk factors that contribute to healthcare workplace violence and a summary of related legislation, policies, strategies, and guidance.

Updated: Workplace Violence Topic Collection

ASPR TRACIE worked with subject matter experts to comprehensively review the Workplace Violence Topic Collection. This Collection highlights some of the most current information and guidance that can assist staff (e.g., emergency managers, security, human resources, clinical leaders, and risk managers) tasked with developing and maintaining workplace violence prevention programs and other guidelines to ensure the resiliency of their facilities.

New! ASPR TRACIE Reaches 10,000 Technical Assistance Requests!

This infographic illustrates trends in ASPR TRACIE TA from 2016-2022, including:

Our continued increases in requests;
The top TA requests by category (COVID leads the list, followed by the CMS EP Rule and natural disasters);
Who requests TA (it's a tie between private healthcare entities and healthcare coalitions); and
Our near-perfect customer satisfaction ratings.

Need TA? Reach out to our Assistance Center today!

Now Available: Closing the COVID-19 Test to Treatment Gap (Webinar)

Understanding and knowing one’s COVID-19 status is critical to receiving timely treatment. ASPR oversees the fair and equitable allocation and distribution of COVID-19 therapeutics under Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA. The speakers in the Closing the COVID-19 Test to Treatment Gap webinar discussed the current COVID-19 therapeutics landscape and the best practices for helping close the test to treatment gap.

Registration for the Virtual Annual AHEPP Conference, being held from March 1-15, 2022, is still open! Please join ASPR TRACIE at these sessions:

COVID and Crisis Care: Ethical and Supply Considerations (March 10, 11:00-12:00 pm CT, 12:00-1:00 pm ET)
Supportive and Allied Healthcare Services: Vital Roles during COVID-19 and Beyond (March 15, 11:00-1:00 pm CT, 12:00 -2:00 pm ET)

CBRN Resources

ASPR TRACIE has experienced an uptick in requests for information on nuclear/radiological resources. Please visit the following sites for more information:

Radiation Emergency Medical Management (REMM) allows users to choose an algorithm under the patient management section. Note that fallout from a nuclear power plant tends to be quite local or what circulates wider in low quantities, usually managed by interdiction. Nuclear fallout is different and depends on where one is. Fallout circulates and, while different in content than a power plant, similar guidance applies. The REMM site also includes a page on medical countermeasures.

The Radiation Injury Treatment Network (RITN) offers many resources, including:

Free RITN just-in-time training resources on acute radiation syndrome (ARS):
- RITN ARS medical grand rounds training
- RITN micro-training (4-8 min videos):
Web-based training (registration required):
- Non-Medical Personnel (e.g., administrative, housekeeping staff) Radiation Awareness (~30 min)
- Facilitator led Non-Medical Personnel Radiation Awareness
- Radiation Safety Communication (for medical staff that will be asked by colleagues, friends, and family about the risk of radiation) (~30 min)
- Initial Care of Patients with Suspected ARS (for those staffing shelters following a radiological/nuclear disaster) (~30 min)
RITN Radiation Injury Referral Guidelines

Chemical Hazards Emergency Medical Management (CHEMM)
CHEMM Intelligent Syndromes Tool (CHEMM-IST)
Algorithm Suggesting Proportionate Incident Response Engagement (ASPIRE)
Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders (WISER)
WebWISER
ASPR TRACIE’s CBRN Resources Page

Subscribe to the Division of Critical Infrastructure Protection’s Bulletins

ASPR’s Division of Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) offers a variety of newsletters to keep stakeholders informed during emergency response and steady state. The newsletters inform stakeholders of the most significant issues facing the Healthcare and Public Health Sector including cybersecurity, healthcare supply chains, COVID-19, and more. If you are interested in receiving CIP newsletters, visit the CIP newsletter subscription webpage.

Comments Requested on 2023-2026 National Health Security Strategy

Through the Federal Register Notice (FRN) published by ASPR on February 14, 2022, public comments are now being solicited to provide information regarding threats and challenges to national health security, and promising practices to address the same. The information you provide will be used to inform the development of the 2023-2026 National Health Security Strategy (NHSS). The NHSS is a four-year strategy that establishes a strategic approach to strengthening the country’s ability to prevent, detect, assess, prepare for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from disasters and emergencies. The upcoming iteration of the NHSS (2023-2026) presents a unique opportunity to reflect on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and focus the nation’s priorities to address evolving public health challenges and be better prepared for future health security threats. Your comments will help ensure that diverse stakeholder perspectives are incorporated and will help drive innovative solutions that better prepare the nation for future public health emergencies. For more information, please view the full FRN posted to the Federal Register. We will accept comments until March 25, 2022, electronically to nhss@hhs.gov with "2023-2026 NHSS Comments" in the subject line. Comments may be placed in the body of the email or in an attachment to the email using a standard document format.