National Public Health and Hospital Institute

Emergency Preparedness

For many communities across the country, NAPH member hospitals alone provide the expertise and capacity to respond to natural disasters and care for victims of shootings, fires and other tragedies. NAPH members provide the only Level I trauma care centers, or the only trauma centers of any level, in 29 cities. They represent just 2 percent of U.S. hospitals, but 44 percent of the nation’s burn care units. In some states, they offer the only poison or burn centers.

Given this role, it is not surprising NAPH members have led the public health response to large scale emergencies, including Hurricane Sandy and the Aurora, Colo., movie theater shootings in 2012; Hurricane Irene in 2011; the Haiti earthquake in 2010; influenza outbreaks in 2012, 2009 and 2008; and the Minneapolis bridge collapse in 2007. Continue Reading
Inside Our Research

Resources for this section

  • May 2007 EP BriefHospital Staffing and Surge Capacity During a Disaster Event

    This Research Brief describes key findings from NAPH's 2007-2008 emergency preparedness study, particularly focusing upon NAPH members' structural surge capacity plans, provisions for staff and their families, identifying and credentialing additional health care professionals, and emergency preparedness training strategies for hospital personnel.

  • Haiti Research Brief November 2010NAPH Members Respond to Haiti Earthquake

    This 2010 research brief examines the response of NAPH member hospitals and health systems to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. It highlights NAPH member efforts to provide onsite clinical services in Haiti, collect and donate critical provisions and supplies, and care for earthquake victims evacuated to the United States for treatment. It also includes an overview of lessons learned and recommendations that may improve the nation’s response to future international incidents.

  • Oct 2007 EP BriefDesignated Coordinators Boost Preparedness Efforts at Public Hospitals

    Most public hospital facilities assign disaster preparedness functions to existing staff, who take on this role in addition to their other responsibilities. However, to stay atop the ever-growing demand for disaster readiness activities, a new trend is emerging in public hospitals: the creation of a full-time, dedicated staff position with the sole responsibility of coordinating, integrating, and assessing preparedness activities for the hospital. To gain insight into this emerging trend, NPHHI conducted a telephone survey of dedicated disaster planners at NAPH facilities. This Research Brief presents findings from that survey.

Useful Links

  • Surge Hospitals: Providing Safe Care in Emergencies
    Published in December 2005 by the Joint Commission, this report provides information to health care planners at the community, state and federal level about what surge hospitals are, the kind of planning they require, how they can be set up, and who should be responsible for their establishment and operation.

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