January 2023 Newsletter
WELCOME TO THE HEALTHCARE COALITION OF MAINE NEWSLETTER
OUR MISSION
The mission of the Healthcare Coalition of Maine (HCCME) is to develop and sustain a powerful coalition of health care organizations, first responders, and other key partners united to save lives and improve health outcomes during disasters through preparedness, planning, response, and recovery efforts.
Upcoming Coalition Events
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT PRE-REGISTRATION IS NECESSARY TO RECEIVE DOCUMENTS
IN ADVANCE AND FOR HCC TO TRACK PARTICIPATION OF THIS EXERCISE
January: CMS Exercise
February: Workshop
HCCME’s february Joint Chapter Meeting
Wednesday, February 8, 2023 from 9:00 – 11:00am
Agenda to include:
* Integrated Preparedness Planning Workshop
* Volunteer Request Training
* Radiation Surge Annex Training
* FQHC 101
Training announcement:
TEEX Infrastructure Protection Certificate Program series coming to Penobscot County
Penobscot County Emergency Management Agency is pleased to announce that the Infrastructure Protection Certificate Program is scheduled for delivery in 2023/2024. The Infrastructure Protection Certificate Program will enrich your knowledge of, and skills in, critical infrastructure security and resilience. You will gain an understanding of homeland security infrastructure protection doctrine through an in-depth examination of key concepts and practices in capabilities-based and community-focused planning, integrated risk management, private-public partnerships, and whole community resilience strategies. See attached brochures for course specific details. Students completing all five courses will receive the Infrastructure Protection Certificate.
AWR-213: Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Awareness
April 25, 2023 | 8a-5p | Jeff’s Catering, Brewer | Register
MGT-310: Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment and Stakeholder Preparedness Review
April 26-27, 2023 | 8a-5p | Jeff’s Catering, Brewer | Register
MGT-315: Critical Asset Risk Management
November 28-29, 2023 | 8a-5p | Jeff’s Catering, Brewer | Register
MGT-414: Advanced Critical Infrastructure Protection
November 30, 2023 | 8a-5p | Jeff’s Catering, Brewer | Register
MGT-418: Readiness: Training Identification and Preparedness Planning
February 7 and 8, 2023 | 8a-5p | Jeff’s Catering, Brewer | Register
MGT-452: Physical and Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure
April 10, 2024 | 8a-5p | Jeff’s Catering, Brewer | Register
Please be aware of the BYOD (bring your own device) policy that FEMA, as well as PTEMA, now operate by. Should you not have access to an internet ready device, please let me know and we will arrange other options for you. Otherwise, you are expected to bring your own technological devices.
Breakfast and lunch will be provided each day free of cost. Please follow this link to notify Christopher Fox of Penobscot County EMA of any dietary restrictions you may have.
Annual Password update
Friendly reminder that as we enter a new calendar year it is time to change the HCCME Member Portal password to HCCMEMember23!
Partner Trainings and Webinars
Maine Voad
united way
NESP
big cities
ADCARE
ALL Clear
January 17, 2023- Continuity of Operations Planning for Community Organizations Presenter: Jonathan Ross, MEMA Senior Planner
Description: Basics of continuity for Whole Community- established FEMA Program that we can focus on certain preparedness actions organizations can take to build resilience.
February 21, 2023- 211 Maine Presenter: Nikki Williams, 211 Maine Program Manager
Description: 211 Maine is a free, confidential information and referral service connects people of all ages across Maine to local services. The presentation will include an overview of program and services of 211 Maine and the United Way in Maine.
All sessions will be up to 1.5 Hours with additional time for questions and discussions. Please follow this link to access the Training Sessions:
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer, mobile app or room device
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 285 368 886 023
Passcode: teGQXu
Upcoming Mental Health First Aid trainings with UWSM
United Way of Southern Maine is partnering with NAMI ME to provide free Mental Health First Aid trainings to community members. As rates of depression, anxiety, suicide, and overdose deaths increase in our community, these training opportunities are more necessary than ever. Together, we can take action to help more people live longer, better lives.
Mental Health First Aid teaches individuals how to identify if someone is experiencing increased symptoms of mental illness and substance use and if they are at risk of or in crisis. Participants learn a 5-step action plan to respond and provide initial help to the individual in crisis. Research shows that individuals who are trained in Mental Health First Aid:
· Grow their knowledge of signs, symptoms and risk factors of mental illnesses and addictions.
· Can identify multiple types of professional and self-help resources for individuals with a mental health or substance use challenge.
· Increase their confidence in and likelihood to help an individual in distress.
· Show increased mental wellness themselves.
Upcoming training sessions will be held on January 19, February 16, March 23, April 13, and May 18. The training is approximately 6 hours over Zoom. If you are interested in attending, please fill out this form or email me directly at nmisra@uwsme.org.
Polio Resurgence: Guidance for Health Care Workers Webinar on January 11th @ 12:00 PM ET
This webinar by the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center will share information about polio vaccines and CDC recommendations, patient management and post-polio syndrome, laboratory testing, and specimen shipment.
Register HERE.
Cities: the Future of Health Webinar Series- Big Cities Health Coalition
Session 2: January 12th @ 2:00 PM ET- Collaboration with Community-based Organizations- features a discussion with Multnomah County Health Department about working with Black farmers to improve food access and affordability.
Session 3: February 7th @ 2:00 PM ET- Determinants of Health – features a discussion with Maricopa County Public Health about their COVID-19 Stories Dashboard and how they are using community feedback to share future programs and services.
Designed for public health professionals, this webinar series will explore the Urban Health Agenda, a vision for centering health and equity in policymaking. In each webinar, get an introduction to this vision, then hear from big city health departments who are making this vision come to life. All webinar sessions are free to attend.
Register for all sessions HERE.
Empowering Resiliency Training on Thursday, February 16, 2023
The impact of chronic stress is a growing public health problem. According to studies from the Harvard Mind-Body Medical Institute, 60 – 90% of doctor visits are for stress related issues. Other studies show that when incorporating self-care in daily living, the utilization of medical services, health risks and out of pocket costs decrease.
Imagine, four hours to reflect on personal resiliency and develop a plan for change. Yes, that is just what EMPOWERING RESILIENCY will do for you as well as leave you with a professional tool for your own use.
Join presenter Jerri Stevens, PhD, LCPC, CCS for a live-webinar on February 16th from 8:30am-12:30pm. Click HERE for more information and to register.
All Clear Emergency Management Group has the following upcoming free webinars:
MEMA
aspr
NACCHO
CDC
ASTHO
Partner Resources
NACCHO Announces Funding Opportunity for Strengthening Local Disability Inclusion
NACCHO, with support from CDC, announced a funding opportunity for Strengthening Disability Inclusion Efforts within Local Health Departments. The goal of this demonstration site project is to enhance local capacity to meet the needs of people with disabilities within health department programs, policies, and services. NACCHO will award a maximum of four local health departments with up to $25,000 each in funding. Applications must be emailed to Uyen Tran at utran@naccho.org by 11:59 PM PT on January 20, 2023. For additional information view the Request for Applications.
NACCHO will host an informational webinar for potential applicants at 1:00 PM ET on January 5, 2023. Register to attend the webinar.
Interim Guidance for Clinicians to Prioritize Antiviral Treatment of Influenza with Reduced Oseltamivir Availability
On December 15, CDC issued a health advisory regarding high seasonal influenza activity across the United States. CDC estimates that in the 2022-2023 season to date there have been at least 13 million illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations, and 7,300 deaths from influenza, based on CDC’s Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report. While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not indicated shortages of oseltamivir (generic or Tamiflu) in any of its forms (capsules and oral suspension), CDC has received numerous anecdotal reports of availability issues for generic oseltamivir in some locations. This may continue to occur in some communities as influenza activity continues.
This Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory provides clinicians and public health officials with guidance for prioritizing oseltamivir for treatment. It also offers information on other influenza antiviral drugs that are recommended for treating influenza in areas where oseltamivir is temporarily unavailable.
CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Updates Guidelines for Examining Unusual Patterns of Cancer and Environmental Concerns
CDC/ATSDR released updated Guidelines for Examining Unusual Patterns of Cancer and Environmental Concerns to help state, tribal, local, and territorial public health agencies, and other partners as they investigate patterns of disease in communities, including cancer, and environmental concerns.
CDC/ATSDR conducted extensive scientific literature reviews and gathered comprehensive feedback via focus group sessions, meetings and interviews with community members, subject matter experts, and state, tribal, local, and territorial partners. The updated guidance:
Places a greater emphasis on engaging and communicating with community members
Recommends health departments consider proactive evaluation of cancer registry data at regular intervals to identify unusual patterns of cancer in a timelier fashion
Replaces the steps in the 2013 Guidelines with new investigative phases and detailed criteria to:
- address environmental concerns more broadly
- de-emphasize statistical significance as the primary criterion for moving forward with evaluating unusual patterns of cancer.
The updated guidelines, as well as accompanying tools and templates, can be accessed at https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/cancer-environment/index.html.
The Associaition of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) Releases 2023 Public Health Legislative Briefs
ASTHO has identified 10 public health policy issues to watch in 2023 and identified additional legislative trends in its 2023 Legislative Prospectus Series. The legislative briefs provide an overview of 10 public health policy topics that range from data modernization and privacy to public health agency infrastructure and authority. The briefs anticipate trends in public health law for the next year and provide a short review for public health professionals and legislators alike. For the upcoming 2023 state legislative sessions, ASTHO expects some jurisdictions to address issues related to public health legal authority and the public health workforce. These issues include sustaining recent investments in public health workers, considering professional licensure requirements for public health workers, and determining the process for and scope of public health orders to control the spread of disease.
Three POSITIONS AVAILABLE!
All Clear Emergency Management Group is searching for TWO detail oriented, highly skilled and motivated Healthcare Coalition Coordinators to join our growing team! These positions will provide coverage to the Northern and Southern Chapters by planning, implementing, and evaluating activities associated with the Coalition. Additionally, this position will recruit and maintain a diverse coalition membership with hospital, public health, emergency management, emergency medical services and other healthcare partners.
For more information, see the full job description located here. Cover letters and resumes should be submitted by email to jobs_HCCME@AllClearEMG.com.
We also continue to search for a detail oriented, highly skilled and motivated Contract Clinical Advisor to join our team! This position will serve the HCCME, by providing clinical leadership and serving as a liaison between the Coalition and medical directors/medical leadership at health care facilities, supporting entities (e.g., blood banks), and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agencies.
For more information, see the full job description located here. Cover letters and resumes should be submitted by email to jobs+clinical@AllClearEMG.com.
CONTACT US
Email your coalition coordinators at HCCME@AllClearEMG.com to assist you with any of your preparedness needs.
As a reminder, we recommend that you bookmark our website MaineHCCs.com and check in often as we are continually updating the calendar with meetings, trainings, and exercises!