View as Webpage

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response

Recent natural disasters have emphasized the importance of collaborative emergency planning, particularly between healthcare facilities and local and state first responders. These incidents also highlight the need for jurisdictions to be flexible when providing patient care during and after a disaster, whether that means evacuating, sheltering, or standing up temporary healthcare facilities. This issue of The Exchange reflects related lessons learned and includes the following articles:

• Mission Accomplished: How a Hospital Sheltered in Place, Kept Patients and Staff Safe, and Maintained Operations After Hurricane Helene
• State of Response: Collaboration and Communication in the Aftermath of Hurricane Helene
• Mission Critical: Leading a Healthcare System through Concurrent Disasters 
• Rising From the Ashes: Signature Healthcare’s Recovery and Reopening Experience After the 2023 Fire

Please also refer to our Hurricanes Resource Page; our new Data Sources for Hazard Vulnerability Assessments Resource Page; our recently updated Tips for Retaining and Caring for Staff after a Disaster and Healthcare Facility Evacuation/Sheltering and Hazard Vulnerability/Risk Assessment Topic Collections; and our Utility Failures in Health Care Toolkit.

We wish you, your colleagues, and the communities you serve a safe and healthy Preparedness Month. We hope this issue is helpful and we welcome your feedback.