Emergency Preparedness

Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN) receives emergency preparedness funding through the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC). CCHN provides CHCs consultation on emergency preparedness technical assistance, training planning, exercises, communication, and disaster coordination.

CCHN has also been highly engaged in COVID-19 response, supporting CHCs through peer learning opportunities, technical assistance related to COVID-19 testing and vaccination, telehealth, personal protective equipment (PPE), and other areas.

Click on any of the links below for resources and information

Colorado Healthcare Coalitions

Health care coalitions (HCCs) are groups of individual health care and response organizations – such as acute care hospitals, emergency medical service (EMS) providers, emergency management agencies, public health agencies, federally qualified health centers, and more – working in a defined geographic location to prepare for and respond to disasters and emergencies. HCCs collaborate to ensure each member has what it needs to respond to emergencies and planned events, including medical equipment and supplies, real-time information, communication systems, and educated and trained health care personnel. Read more about Healthcare Coalitions in CCHNs Emergency Preparedness Toolkit. 

 

CCHN Emergency Preparedness Peer Group

CCHN Emergency Preparedness Peer Group (EPPG) is a peer learning network consisting of Emergency Preparedness Coordinators from Colorado’s 20 Community Health Centers. The group meets monthly to network with your peers, discuss hot topics, and share promising practices and resources related to emergency management work.

Primary Care Association (PCA) Emergency Management Advisory Coalition (EMAC)

The EMAC is a peer group consisting of non-profit organizations serving the needs of community health centers (including federally qualified health centers and look-a-like organizations), including but not limited to primary care associations and other national cooperative agreement receiving entities.  The primary goal of the EMAC is to coordinate and provide support to community health centers in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies that affect the delivery of healthcare and/or its infrastructure in any or all states and regions.

CO.TRAIN

Colorado TRAIN (CO.TRAIN)  is a  learning network that provides thousands of quality training opportunities to individuals who protect and improve the public’s health. Powered by Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, (CDPHE) CO.TRAIN brings together agencies and organizations in the public health, healthcare, and preparedness sectors to disseminate, track, and share trainings for the health workforce on a centralized training platform

National Incident Management System (NIMS) Trainings

National Incident Management System (NIMS) Trainings guide all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations and the private sector to work together to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to and recover from incidents. These training courses provide stakeholders across the whole community with the shared vocabulary, systems, and processes to successfully deliver the capabilities described in the National Preparedness System. NIMS defines operational systems that guide how personnel work together during incidents.

While these trainings are not a requirement for CMS emergency preparedness compliance, CCHN highly recommends CHC EP leads complete the following courses:

 

These courses are offered free of charge through FEMA, and the certification will not expire.

Phycological First Aid Training

Psychological First Aid is an evidence-informed modular approach to help everyone including first responders and receivers, public and behavioral health professionals, community members and families in the immediate aftermath of disaster and terrorism. It is designed to reduce the initial distress caused by traumatic events and to foster short- and long-term adaptive functioning and coping. During the course, you will receive practical suggestions about what you can say and what you can do as you practice the principles of Psychological First Aid

June 10, 2021 – CCHN Psychological First Aid Training for the CHCs PowerPoint

Infection Prevention Program

A three-webinar series on developing an effective Infection Prevention Program. These webinars will support Community Health Center staff to develop and maintain an infection prevention program that helps to protect patients and staff from potential infectious agents, can adapt quickly to newly-identified threats, and complies with local, state, and federal guidelines.

Webinar #1 Introduction to IP and Overview of High-Level Documents

Webinar #2 Procedures and Guidelines

Webinar #3 Monitoring your Infection Prevention Program

Emergency Management Templates

CCHN has developed emergency management templates to assist the CHCs in developing and updating their Emergency Management Plans. Please note, this content is only available to CHCs. If you have any questions, please contact Emily Bauer

Other Resources

 

Please contact Emily Bauer, ebauer@cchn.org, for additional information.