Contents
- Message from the MRPC Program Staff
- MRPC Quarter 4 Events & Conferences
- Massachusetts Survivor and Family Assistance Plan
- MRPC Executive Committee
- MRPC BP 1X Stakeholder Meeting Schedule
- Emergency Preparedness Tools & Education
Message from the MRPC Program Staff
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." ~Winston Churchill
BP1 was a year of considerable growth for the MRPC. Despite a slow start between the end of BP5 and BP1, as the last region across the Commonwealth to form as a Health and Medical Coordinating Coalition (HMCC), we are now not only caught up on the deliverables and benchmarks set forth for HMCCs by the state, but are moving steadily ahead as we continue to increase our planning and response capabilities as a collaborative and operational region. In BP1, we focused on partner engagement strategies and have seen a substantial increase in Stakeholder membership. In addition, we have also significantly expanded operational capabilities through development, implementation, and testing of the 24/7/365 MRPC Duty Officer role and through installation of several communication platforms and systems to enhance real time regional situational awareness and information sharing. Your support and contributions, as MRPC Stakeholders, have made this possible. Thank you!
Looking ahead into BP1X, we will continue to focus on Stakeholder engagement and building partnerships across the Region, in addition to prioritizing tools and resources to enhance real time information sharing capabilities, developing a regional Hazard Vulnerability Assessment (HVA), completing regional resource assessments/inventory, and more. We look forward to working with you as we continue to progress towards our vision of a collaborative, prepared, and resilient region.
MRPC Quarter 4 Events & Conferences
Operationalizing Emergency Plans: Incident Command in Action DelValle Course
On April 26th, 2018,MRPC Stakeholders representing the five core Health and Medical Coordinating Coalition (HMCC) disciplines and other healthcare partners from across Region 4AB, came together to learn and practice how to operationalize the Incident Command System (ICS) in response to an emergency incident.
The 4-hour course, which took place at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, focused on improving public health and healthcare disciplines’ operational readiness, i.e. their ability to quickly and effectively transition from normal operations to emergency operations operating under an ICS structure, with an emphasis on utilizing existing Emergency Operations Plans (EOP) to guide the overall response.
The course was presented in a Tabletop Exercise format, and provided an opportunity for participants to receive hands-on learning with a fast-paced practical session involving a simulated scenario based upon actual events that stressed public health and healthcare systems.
This course is one of a series of health care preparedness oriented courses developed and facilitated by the DelValle Institute. The April 26th course was sponsored by the MRPC and made possible with federal funds designated for Health and Medical Coordinating Coalitions (HMCCs).
Voices From Experience Mass Casualty Incident: The 2017 Las Vegas Shooting Emergency Preparedness Conference
On May 30th, Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) sponsored a regional conference on lessons learned from the 2017 Las Vegas Shooting. Conference speakers included several health and public safety responders on the frontlines of the incident: Dr. Kevin Menes of Sunrise Hospital, Officer Robert Chamberlin of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and Deputy Chief Jon Klassen of the Clark County Fire Department. Opening remarks were provided by CHA Senior VP & Chief Medical Officer Assad Sayah, MD, with closing remarks by Christian Lanphere, CHA Everett Hospital Campus Administrator and CHA Director of Emergency Management and Safety Officer.
Officer Robert Chamberlin and Deputy Chief Jon Klassen provided an overview of the incident and discussed the initial public safety response. They also talked about how a series of joint training between local law enforcement and the fire department created an environment of collaboration and promoted improved communication among public safety partners during the incident.
Dr. Kevin Menes provided an overview of Sunrise Hospital’s response to the surge of patients to their facility as a result of the incident. He shared how his research and development of a novel patient triage method, implemented the night of the shooting, allowed their hospital to treat approximately 200 patients over the course of multiple hours on the evening of October 1st, 2017 into the morning of October 2nd, 2017.
Over 250 participants from hospitals and healthcare entities, public safety, and emergency management attended the conference, which was made possible by regional Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) funding.
MRPC End-of-Year Stakeholder Conference
In lieu of the regularly scheduled June Stakeholder meeting, the MRPC developed and sponsored its first End-of-Year Stakeholder Conference on June 13th, 2018. Held at the Massachusetts Medical Society, the full-day conference featured program updates by MRPC Executive Committee members and Program Staff, as well as several learning sessions on various emergency preparedness topics and regional initiatives. James Sheard and Meg Femino discussed their individual experiences responding to the 2017 hurricane season from the perspective of a Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) and Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) team respectively. Following the presentations, there was a panel discussion with Dr. Shannon Manzi (MA 1-DMAT) facilitating. The panelists included James Sheard (MA 1-DMAT), Doris Cappola-Vojak (MA 1-DMAT), and Meg Femino (Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital EMAC team). The discussion ranged from descriptions of the teams and their roles in disaster response, to challenges faced by the teams in the field and areas of improvement identified for the future. The 2017 Hurricane Response Panel was followed by a presentation on the statewide Survivor and Family Assistance Plan by Benjamin Hiltunen of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and an MRPC Regional Spotlight Presentation on the Region 4AB Hospital Sub-Coalition Mutual Aid Coordinating Entity (MACE) (Region 4AB hospital mutual aid plan and agreement) led by Charlotte Roy of Newton Wellesley Hospital.
The MRPC Conference was made possible with federal funds designated for the HMCC program.
We look forward to continuing to provide engaging and valuable content for the Budget Period 1X Stakeholder meetings.
MCI Lessons Learned from Desert Springs: A non-Trauma Center Response & Table Top Exercise (TTX)
Region 4AB Hospitals worked collaboratively to plan and sponsor a Mass Casualty Conference and Tabletop Exercise for hospital emergency coordinators and other hospital front line staff on June 29th, 2018.
Karen Donnahie, RN and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator at Desert Springs hospital in Nevada, opened the conference with a presentation and learning session on the Desert Springs response and lessons learned from the October 1st, 2017 Vegas Shooting incident. Karen spoke about her experience and response perspective in working with the Incident Command Team of a non-Trauma Center hospital to treat over 100 patients during the incident, the majority of which self-presented with little or no advance warning.
Following Karen's presentation, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Emergency Preparedness Director, Meg Femino, facilitated a table top exercise for participants utilizing specially designed game boards and game pieces to simulate a mass casualty incident at a hospital. Each board represented a different hospital floor while cards and game pieces represented patients, staff members, and equipment. Participants worked through realistic scenario injects to coordinate the movement of patients and resources in real time. Following exercise play, a hotwash was conducted.
The June 29th conference was made possible with regional Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) funding.
Massachusetts Survivor and Family Assistance Plan
The Massachusetts Survivor and Family Assistance Plan is a multi-agency, state-level plan developed to coordinate response and recovery actions among state agencies and non-governmental organizations that have operational responsibilities for “establishing, maintaining, and/or delivering services at Family Reception Centers (FRCs) or Family Assistance Centers (FACs)”. The plan focuses on “identifying resources and capabilities of local, regional, state, federal, non-governmental agencies, and private non-profit organizations, and on developing and setting forth a framework and organizational structure for the coordination of resources and capabilities in order to assist impacted communities in providing survivor and family assistance following a mass casualty or mass fatality incident”. Roles and responsibilities for some of the agencies and organizations that may have a significant role in the implementation of this plan is outlined within. This Plan is intended to expand upon and coordinate actions taken under the Massachusetts Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, as well as the existing Emergency Operations Plans of state agencies and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that have operational responsibilities for establishing, maintaining, and/or delivering services at Family Reception Centers or Family Assistance Centers.
The Massachusetts Survivor and Family Assistance Plan can be found on the MRPC Website at https://www.mrpcoalition.org/education.
MRPC Executive Committee
The MRPC Executive Committee is the governing body of the Metro Regional Preparedness Coalition. Executive Committee members help to provide the overall strategy and direction for the Coalition. They also function as subject matter experts and liaisons for their respective disciplines. Meeting on a bi-monthly basis, the Executive Committee has paved the way of the MRPC to where we are as a Coalition today.
Executive Committee members are active participants in, and leaders of, their own health care disciplines. As individuals, they bring experience and passion to health care emergency preparedness. Together as a coalition, they support regional preparedness through the development of partnerships and networks between interdisciplinary health and medical disciplines.
The concept of a coalition is for individuals to come together in a concerted effort to make the whole stronger. We look forward to another successful budget period year utilizing the strength of our Executive Committee members to meet our coalition goals and build a stronger coalition.
Interested in becoming more involved with the MRPC? In BP1X, the MRPC will be developing two new subcommittees: a Planning Subcommittee and a Training and Exercise Subcommittee.
Participation on MRPC Subcommittees does not require EC membership or prior experience. If you are interested in learning more, please contact one of your discipline representatives on the MRPC Executive Committee or Ari Winograd, MRPC Planning and Operations Coordinator.
Current MRPC Executive Committee Members
MRPC BP 1X Stakeholder Meeting Schedule
MRPC Stakeholder meetings are held quarterly and are open to all. Meetings typically include a learning session as well as many ways to connect with your fellow MRPC counterparts.
Please join us!
- September 12th, 2018; 1:30pm-3:30pm; Westwood Public Library
- December 12th, 2018; 1:30pm-3:30pm; Location TBD
- March 13th, 2019; 1:30pm-3:30pm; Location TBD
- June 12th, 2019; 10:00am-2:00pm; Location TBD
Looking for more Region 4AB Events, Training, Education, and Meetings?
Visit Our Website
Emergency Preparedness Tools & Education
Emergency Preparedness Tools
- Health and Human Services ASPR TRACIE
- Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP)
- ASPR TRACIE Fact Sheet: EMTALA and Disasters
- CDC Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER)
- 2018 Massachusetts Arbovirus Daily Update
- Arbovirus Surveillance Plan and historical data
- RX Open
- emPOWER Data, June 8th, 2018
Emergency Preparedness Education
- FEMA Emergency Management Institute: Independent Study Courses
- Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health: National Center for Disaster Preparedness
- FEMA Center for Domestic Preparedness
- National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (NDPTC)
We want to hear from you...
Do you have an idea for a future MRPC presentation, topic of interest, or other training/event opportunity?
Would you like to share or author an article to be featured in a future issue of the MRPC Newsletter?
Opportunities abound!
We welcome your suggestions and participation.
To find out more, email Jendy Dunlop, Program Manager @ jdunlop@challiance.org
or
Ari Winograd, Planning and Operations Coordinator @ awinograd@challiance.org
MRPC Program Staff
Jendy Dunlop
MRPC Program Manager
jdunlop@challiance.org
(781) 397-6559
Ari Winograd
Planning & Operations Coordinator
awinograd@challiance.org
(781) 397-6576
MRPC Duty Officer
PAGER
(For emergent, time-sensitive notifications):
(857) 239-0662
(For non-emergent, non-time-sensitive notifications)
mrpcdutyofficer@challiance.org
"It isn’t equipment that wins the battles; it is the quality and the determination of the people fighting for a cause in which they believe".
Gene Kranz, Failure is not an Option: Mission Control From Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
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