Emergency Preparedness

MedChi Disaster Preparedness Task Force

In February 2002, the MedChi Board of Trustees directed the formation of a task force to develop recommendations for preparing Maryland physicians and other practitioners for public health disasters, including terrorist actions, for utilizing MedChi and other professional organizations toward that end, and coordinating physician efforts with voluntary professional agencies.

Summary of Recommendations

1. Communications

• Monitor information and inform physicians should there be a need for them to move to other settings.
• Work with the Maryland Hospital Association to promote a sense of community and create the greatest response possible from the physician medical community.
• Provide space on its web site for disaster preparedness information, educational pieces, and act as a clearinghouse for accurate and timely access to information.

2. Education

• Provide continuing medical education (CME) opportunities at MedChi meetings.
• Provide additional vehicles for promotion of education for physicians in the community, public health, and academia who need and want immediate and ongoing educational updating in the realm of disaster preparedness.
• Recommend to the Board of Physicians that they require a certain number of yearly CME credits in disaster preparedness for each physician.

3. Coordination

• Work with the state health department to disseminate to the medical community a clear‑cut organizational structure to encompass the state agencies and all of its subdivisions’ needs.
• Assist in clarifying the role of the practitioner in the event of a disaster.
• Encourage physicians to care for patients in their usual setting.
• Examine mechanisms for identifying physicians and nurses than can support the clinic and neighborhood emergency help centers and urgent care centers.
• Identify mechanisms for physicians and nurses to be trained in incident command.
• Examine the structure of the Neighborhood Emergency Help Centers and hospital incident commands.

Physician Actions

• Join the MedChi Public Health and Terror Alert Listserve.
• Learn about state and local resources.
• Participate in Maryland’s sentinel surveillance system.
• Enroll in public health trainings.
• Prepare your staff and practice to respond in the event of an emergency.
• Learn the protocols, policies and procedures of your local health department, hospitals, and clinics in the event of an emergency.
• Become a registered volunteer.

Resources

Trainings

• TRAIN Maryland

Websites

• Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene- Office of Preparedness and Response
• Pandemic Influenza
• Maryland Flu Preparedness
• Local Health Departments
• Emergency Preparedness
• Hospital Preparedness
• University of Maryland Health Sciences and Human Services Library
• Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health Preparedness
• University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security
• CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response
• Information for the general public Preparedness Today: What You Need to Do

• Avian Flu: Is Your Practice Ready? Robert Lowes, Medical Economics July 21, 2006
• Preparing for Pandemic Influenza in Maryland Henry G. Taylor, MedChi Physician April 2006
• Bioterrorism: Are We Prepared? Michael Sauri, Maryland Medicine, Spring 2000
• The Role of the Louisiana FIMR in Post-Hurricane Relief Efforts

Contact Information

For more information on Emergency Preparedness, please contact:

Meena R. Abraham, DrPH
Executive Director
Center for a Healthy Maryland
Phone: 410-539-0872 or 800-492-1056, ext. 322
Fax: 410-649-4131
e-mail: mabraham@medchi.org