October 2022 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
October
november
Join us on Wednesday, November 9th from 9-10:30 am for the HCCME November Joint Chapter Meeting featuring:
Hazard Vulnerability Assessment
HAN & EMResource Refresher Training
Quarterly Communications Drill
Register HERE.
Medical Response and Surge Exercise (MRSE) Bolsters Communication and Coordination in New Mexico During the Real-Life Response and Evacuation to the McBride Fire
The Medical Response and Surge Exercise (MRSE) was vital in the New Mexico Healthcare Coalition’s successful patient transfer and overall emergency response to the McBride fire. The exercise, which was conducted one week prior to the wildfire, outlined the exact communication protocols, transportation resources, and geographic considerations that the response team used during the response. With the exercise steps fresh on their minds, the team knew exactly who to call, the protocols to follow, and where to go during the active response. In addition, the response brought together various health care and emergency response partners from across New Mexico and parts of Texas, utilizing the strong working relationships developed by both the exercise and the coalition itself.
"Lessons taken away from the [MRSE] exercise provided key stakeholders decision making points that allowed us to respond quickly to the rapidly changing environment of a wildfire.”
- David Merritt, Region 3 Health Care Preparedness Coordinator
ARE YOU READY FOR THE COALITION’S Next REDUNDANT COMMUNICATIONS DRILL ON November 9TH?
When a public health emergency occurs it important that your facility is registered with the Maine Health Alert Network (HAN), a secure, web-based communication system used by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and it’s partners to exchange information within and between their respective agencies. Members include physicians, nurses, hospital staff, clinicians, public health workers, emergency preparedness and management personnel, first responders, and many others.
If you work in a public health or emergency preparedness-related field and would like to join the Maine Health Alert Network, please click here to register now. Additionally, you can follow the Sign-Up Instructions Document for HCCME members to assist you with the process. If you already have a HAN account please log in here to ensure your information is up to date. For example, if your job, email address or phone number(s) have changed, you can update those details within your account now to be certain you are ready for the upcoming drill on November 9th (to be held during the joint chapter meeting)!
If you need assistance or have any questions, please contact us at HCCME@allclearemg.com.
Central Maine Healthcare Seeks Volunteers for Upcoming Community-Based Tabletop Exercise
Central Maine Healthcare is hosting a community-based tabletop exercise on Thursday November 3rd from 8:00am – 2:00pm. This tabletop exercise is designed to test healthcare, public safety, local and state government, and other partnering organizations response to a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) and will be held at 12 High Street Lewiston, ME (virtual option for those not able to attend in person).
We are looking for evaluators, scribes, and observers to join the exercise! Please complete the following Sign-Up Sheet if you are interested by no later than October 17. We will be providing lunch during the day of the exercise, all materials you will need for your role, and a brief training beforehand on how to complete the tasks of your assigned role. Following October 17, you will receive an email with what role you have been assigned and other important information. See flyer for more specifics regarding the exercise.
Join us at the IAEM Region 1 Symposium on October 21st!
ASPR TRACIE Evaluation of Hazard Vulnerability Assessment Tools
ASPR TRACIE updated the Evaluation of Hazard Vulnerability Assessment (HVA) Tools that highlights similarities and differences among applicable HVA tools used by public health and health care organizations. Each description includes a summary of its primary use/purpose, information on who developed the tool and how, the format of the tool, the calculations approach, and the benefits and limitations of the tool.
Partner Trainings and Webinars
Maine voad
FEMA
Resilient Nation Partnership Network
All Clear Emergency Management Group
Maine Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) offers virtual Monthly Training Sessions
Maine VOAD offers virtual Monthly Training Sessions for Members, Government, Non-Profit Partners, and anyone Interested every third Tuesday at 3 p.m. The first session will be provided beginning on October 18th, 2022 and will reoccur monthly after that. There is no cost for the 1.5 hour sessions. The October 18th session will cover What is VOAD? An overview of Who is Maine VOAD?
Click here to join the Oct 18th meeting
Meeting ID: 285 368 886 023
Passcode: teGQXu
Please contact ME VOAD Co-Chairs Sam Michaud and Tom Dobson at mevoad@nvoad.org or Bill Guindon, MEMA Mass Care Coordinator, william.guindon@maine.gov , if you have any questions.
View full Maine VOAD 2022-2023 schedule HERE.
2022 Hazard Mitigation Assistance Series: Using Grant Funding to Build Resilience with FEMA on October 4th @ 2:00 PM ET
This webinar will provide information and an overview to applicants and sub applicants on how to develop and submit applications for FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), which includes the HMGP Post Fire program.
Register here.
7th Annual Partnership Forum: "Alliances for Inclusive Resilience” Every Wednesday in October from 1:00-3:00 PM ET
October 5th – Social Cohesion: Making Access, Inclusion and Equity Priorities in Resilience
October 12th – Making Resilience Priorities Complementary
October 19th – Inclusive Design: Building a Sense of Resilient Belonging
October 26th -Voices of Inclusive Resilience
We are excited to announce the Resilient Nation Partnership Network and Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI) will be hosting the 7th Annual Partnership Forum! The annual forum provides opportunities for partners to engage with other industry peers, network, and identify actionable future collaborations around a priority topic.
Register here.
Free upcoming webinars:
mema
WAI
ASPR TRACIE
DHS
Partner Resources
Maine Emergency Management Agency Releases Mass Care Update for Oct 2022
This update, prepared by Bill Guindon (MEMA Mass Care Coordinator), is filled with lots of helpful information including (but not limited to):
Strategic staging of MEMA shelter trailers in Maine
How to request Mass Care Sheltering Courses
Mass Care definitions and Warming Centers preparations
Maine Feeding Partners Update
Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Releases Checklist for Making Events Accessible
This page helps presenters, participants, and organizers make events inclusive, particularly to people with disabilities. This benefits everyone, particularly international participants.
Resource Spotlight: ASPR TRACIE Coalition Models and Functions Topic Collection (Updated)
The resources in this updated Topic Collection can help new and existing health care coalition members learn more about the history of coalitions, the functions and structures of effective coalitions, and how other coalitions have learned and grown from actual disasters.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Announces Application Period Now Open for State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP)
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announces a first-of-its-kind cybersecurity grant program specifically for state, local, and territorial (SLT) governments across the country. This State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, made possible thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provides $1 billion in funding to SLT partners over four years, with $185 million available for FY22, to support SLT efforts to address cyber risk to their information systems. With this funding, SLT governments will be better equipped to address cybersecurity risks, strengthen the cybersecurity of their critical infrastructure, and ensure resilience against persistent cyber threats for the services SLT governments provide their communities.
With the release of a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), DHS has opened the application process for the grant program. Applicants have 60 days to apply for a grant, which can be used to fund new or existing cybersecurity programs.
This program is the latest example of a unified approach across DHS, which brings together the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA’s) capabilities with a FEMA-administered program to accomplish the Department’s goal of increasing state and local cyber defenses.
As the nation’s front-line cyber defense and resilience agency, CISA works hand-in-hand with our partners in state, local, and territorial governments who face unique cybersecurity challenges but often lack the resources to address them. The State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program will play a critical role in helping these organizations build their capability and capacity. We encourage all eligible entities to apply for grant funds to protect our critical infrastructure and communities from malicious cyber activity.
The cyber grant program is an innovative program established by the State and Local Cybersecurity Improvement Act, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to help address the unique challenges state and territorial governments face when defending against cyber threats. This new grant program will help state and local partners reduce cyber risk and build resilience to the dynamic and evolving cybersecurity threat environment.
Specifically, the cyber grant program will fund efforts to establish critical governance frameworks across states and territories to address cyber threats and vulnerabilities, identify key vulnerabilities and evaluate needed capabilities, implement measures to mitigate the threats, and develop a 21st-century cyber workforce across local communities. CISA will support these efforts with a suite of available resources, including state cybersecurity coordinators and cybersecurity advisors.
The grants will significantly improve national resilience to cyber threats by giving state, local, and territorial governments much-needed resources to address network security and take steps to protect against cybersecurity risks to help them strengthen their communities.
There will be two funding opportunities for this program. The current funding opportunity is for state, local, and territorial governments. As part of this NOFO, local governments are eligible sub-recipients through their respective states and territories. A separate tribal grant program will be released later in the fall. For more information and helpful resources on the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, visit CISA’s webpage here.
EMSC
EMSC Pediatric Emergency and Advocacy Kit (PEAK) on pain: It Doesn’t Have to Hurt
In honor of Pain Awareness Month, the EMSC Innovation and Improvement Center is excited to share its latest Pediatric Emergency and Advocacy Kit (PEAK) on pain.
What makes PEAK resources different? They’re: 1) developed and vetted for accuracy based on the latest scientific evidence by interdisciplinary subject matter experts; 2) free and open access; 3) multimodal, with something for every learning style.
Click here to view all of the PEAK pain resources.
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!