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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response

The ASPR TRACIE Team would like to honor the people who lost their lives on 9/11/2001 and those who have succumbed to illnesses and injuries since the attack. National Preparedness Month serves as a reminder of the importance of preparedness, and we appreciate all the feedback and stories from the field so many of you have shared since we launched nine years ago. Thank you, and please reach out to us if you need technical assistance.  

This issue of The Express highlights the following new and updated resources:

• Anesthesia in Disasters and Public Health Emergencies (Speaker Series Recording)
• Pediatric Issues Informing Current and Future Disaster Planning (Webinar)
• Supporting the Community through Historic Flooding: Central Vermont Medical Center's 2023 Experience
• National Healthcare Coalition Preparedness Conference

Anesthesia in Disasters and Public Health Emergencies (Speaker Series Recording)

The speakers in Anesthesia in Disasters and Public Health Emergencies highlight the role of anesthesiologists in various types of natural and human-caused incidents (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic and the Harvest Festival mass shooting in 2017). This and other recordings in our Healthcare System Preparedness Considerations Speaker Series highlight stakeholders’ lessons learned and real-world experiences.  

Register Today: Pediatric Issues Informing Current and Future Disaster Planning (Webinar)

Panelists in the upcoming webinar Pediatric Issues Informing Current and Future Disaster Planning will discuss how efforts by ASPR’s Pediatric Disaster Care Centers of Excellence are shaping current and future pediatric disaster planning. Register today!

Supporting the Community through Historic Flooding: Central Vermont Medical Center's 2023 Experience 

The State of Vermont experienced significant flooding in July 2023, when already soaked soil received 3-5 inches of rain on July 7 and nearly 7 inches of rain in some areas the following week. Anna Tempesta Noonan, President and Chief Operating Officer of the University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center, describes how her facility, located in central Vermont, remained open and continued to serve their community during this historic weather event in the article Supporting the Community through Historic Flooding: Central Vermont Medical Center's 2023 Experience. Access additional articles on extreme weather and healthcare in Issue 19 of The Exchange. 

Reminder: Obtaining Continuing Education Credits for Attending Project ECHO Sessions  

Participants who complete a brief survey after HHS/ASPR Project ECHO Clinical Readiness Rounds are eligible to claim Continuing Medical Education, Continuing Nursing Education, or Continuing Education for Emergency Medical Services credits. Clinical Readiness Rounds sessions occur the first and third Tuesday of each month from 12:00–1:00 PM ET. Note there will be no sessions in October; they will resume on Tuesday, November 5. Contact ASPRClinicalReadinessRoundsECHO@salud.unm.edu for more information.

National Healthcare Coalition Preparedness Conference 

Register for the National Healthcare Coalition Preparedness Conference today and join our session “Sustainable MOCCs: Making Them Work for You” (on December 12, at 11:45 AM). This session will feature Mary King (Medical Director, Pediatric Trauma Intensive Care Unit, Harborview, Washington) and Annette Newman (Western Region Burn Disaster Consortia Coordinator) discussing how to incorporate specialty considerations such as pediatrics and burn into Medical Operations Coordination Centers.