The Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) was created in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and the subsequent anthrax attacks, to build hospital capacity to respond to bioterrorism incidents. In successive years, the program focus shifted to an all-hazards, capability-based approach to include all members of the healthcare system –EMS agencies, emergency management, public health, long term care, behavioral health, etc. 

Since 2002, the Department for Public Health has received HPP funding, with a significant portion of that funding being allocated to the Regional Healthcare Coalitions (HCC) across the state. The membership of these coalitions has evolved as the program focus shifted to a whole community approach.

Although many EMS agencies have been long-standing members, with the newly released “2017-2022 Healthcare Preparedness and Response Capabilities”, EMS agencies are now considered a core member of the HCC.

The purpose of the Hospital Preparedness Program is to prepare the healthcare delivery system to save lives during emergencies and disaster events that exceed the day-to-day capacity and capability of existing health and emergency response systems. This is accomplished through the development of HCCs that incentivize diverse and often competing healthcare organizations, with differing priorities and objectives, to work together. HCCs provide members with many benefits. Those benefits related to EMS can best be summarized by the EMS agencies who are members of HCCs across the state.