ASPR TRACIE Express: May Update

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Public Health Emergency

The Express: May 2021

This issue of The Express highlights the following new resources:

In anticipation of National EMS week, ASPR TRACIE would like to express our appreciation for our stakeholders in that field, particularly in light of the grueling pace of the past year. We also encourage you to visit our EMS Resource Page. 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 technical assistance.

New: Special Needs Population Readiness: Dialysis Preparedness and Response

Joyce Scott, RN, Director of Renal Service, North Cypress Medical Center (TX) discusses how the facility maintained continuity of operations for dialysis patients during the winter storms that struck Texas in February 2021 in this brief recording. Access ASPR TRACIE’s new Healthcare System Preparedness Considerations Speaker Series for more information.

New: Leadership during a Disaster

In this recording, Erin Erb, MHA, RHIA, LSSGB, CPHQ, Division Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety and Kelli Nations, DBA, MHA, BSN, RN, NE-BC, Chief Nursing Executive (both of HCA Houston Healthcare), and Michael Wargo, RN, BSN, MBA, PHRN, CMTE, Vice President, HCA Healthcare, Enterprise Readiness & Emergency Operations discuss the importance of executive leadership during the unprecedented winter storms that struck Texas in February 2021.

New: The Virtual Hospital at Home—Denver Health’s Experience Treating COVID-19 Patients Virtually

Denver Health is a Level 1 Trauma Center and Urban Safety Net hospital which typically runs near or at capacity and often experiences adult emergency department boarding. In this article, Patrick Ryan, MD, MPH, and Connie Savor Price, MD (both of Denver Health and the University of Colorado School of Medicine) shared their experiences creating the “Virtual Hospital at Home” model to manage the significant surge in COVID-19 patients in the fall of 2020. Access Issue 13 of The Exchange for related articles.

Reminder: Register for the “Be a COVID Vaccine Champion” Webinar

Increasing vaccine confidence can bring real benefits to your community—lowering COVID infection rates, hospitalizations, and deaths—but vaccine hesitancy remains a real issue in many communities. Register today to learn more about the "Be a COVID Vaccine Champion" initiative and find out about COVID vaccination communication strategies you can use to help promote vaccination.

Subscribe to the Division of Critical Infrastructure Protection’s Bulletins

ASPR’s Division of Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) recently launched the Healthcare and Public Health Sector Infectious Disease Update. This newsletter can help you keep track of the 2021 Ebola outbreaks and other emerging infectious diseases by providing you with the latest news and resources. Keep your organization resilient and prepared for infectious disease—subscribe today by visiting the CIP bulletins subscription webpage.

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)
Emergency Department: Patient Care and Clinical Operations (Thursdays, 12:00-1:00 PM ET)

Access previous webinars and special topic sessions and sign up today to receive information on upcoming events.