TIP: If you’d like to view documents grouped by topic, the format of this page might be easier to read and work with.
If you’re looking for information on an emergent incident, please refer to the Activation Level box at the top of the Home page. The focus of this Resource page is on planning and preparedness.
- All Documents
- Active Shooter
- After Action Reporting/Improvement Planning
- ASPR/HPP & PHEP Guidance
- Clinical Guidance – State and Federal
- CMS Preparedness Rule
- Community Health Centers
- COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2
- Cybersecurity
- Dialysis Centers
- Emergency Dispensing
- Emergency Management Program Fundamentals
- Emerging Infectious Disease and Pandemic Influenza
- EMS
- Equipment
- Exercise Program
- Forms
- Functional Needs Support Services
- Hazard Vulnerability Assessment
- Healthcare System
- Home Health & Hospice
- Hospitals
- Incident Management/Incident Command System
- Long-Term Care
- Measles
- Mental & Behavioral Health
- Planning Guides & Toolkits
- Policy Guidance – State & Federal
- Public Health
- Recovery Planning
- Reports
- Risk Communication
- Sheltering
- Trainings – State & Online
- Volunteer Management
- Vulnerable Populations
- W MA HMCC Member Support Documents
- Water Emergencies
2018 Public Health Emergency Preparedness Capabilities – National Standards for State and Local Planning
These are the national standards for public health preparedness capability-based planning and will assist planners in identifying gaps in preparedness, determining the specific jurisdictional priorities,…
Adult Care Emergency Preparedness Exercise Toolkit
This toolkit has been developed specifically for adult care providers so they can quickly and efficiently: Select an exercise type based on your facility’s needs…
Be Prepared for the Unexpected – Public Health Pearls of Wisdom
This project aimed to preserve the institutional memory of former health department employees with over 250 years of combined experience. These video-driven trainings serve to…
CPR-compliant Manikins, AED Trainers and Related Supplies
Through the generosity of the Western Regional Homeland Security Training Council, Region 1 has received an allotment of CPR-compliant manikins, AED trainers and related supplies.…
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security agency (CISA) Ransomware Guide
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) have released a joint Ransomware Guide that details practices…
Cybersecurity is Everyone’s Job
This guidebook outlines what each member of an organization should do to protect it from cyber threats, based on the types of work performed by…
Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans
This document provides Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidance on the fundamentals of planning and developing emergency operations plans (EOP). This guide integrates key concepts…
Do No Harm 2.0
Chapter One—“Why Should We Care?”—gives a high-level overview describing the cybersecurity challenges and constraints facing the healthcare sector. Some of these challenges are unique to…
Emergency Disclosures and HIPAA
A flowchart to asisst protected health information sources gauge what they can disclose for public health preparedness/response purposes.
Emergency Dispensing Sites: A Guide for Planning for Medical Countermeasures Dispensing Operations
Each city and town should be covered by a written plan to dispense emergency MCM to its residents, workers, and visitors. This EDS Planning Guide,…
Emergency Managers Toolkit – Meeting the Needs of the Latino Community
This Tool Kit is and effort to develop and disseminate practical and simple tools that will assist emergency managers to improve their responsiveness to Latinos…
Emergency Preparedness Packet for Home Health Agencies
The materials in this packet, developed by the National Association for Home Care & Hospice Emergency Preparedness Workgroup, consist of templates of tools to assist…
Emergency Preparedness Toolkit for Community Health Centers
This toolkit is intended to be used by leadership of community practice sites to (1) assess vulnerability, create an emergency preparedness plan, train staff to…
EMS Infectious Disease Playbook
This document was created by subject matter experts working for the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). The aim was not to develop novel…
EMS Pre-Hospital Statewide Treatment Protocols 2018 v.2
These protocols are developed and approved by the Department of Public Health, based on the recommendations of Emergency Medical Care Advisory Board (EMCAB) and its…
FEMA After-Action Report Resource Bundle
This bundle of AAR/IP tools and templates moves beyond the standard AAR/IP template, and includes tools for interviews and data capture, theme coding, action/improvement planning…
FEMA Independent Study Catalog
The full FEMA catalog of courses available via independent study.
Healthcare Coop and Recovery Planning – Concepts Principles Templates and Resources
This document is a collection of resources, ideas, templates, references and hyperlinks to additional information relating to Healthcare Continuity of Operations (COOP) and Healthcare Disaster…
Healthcare Organization and Hospital Cybersecurity Discussion Guide
This guide is intended to help participants identify issues, strengths, and weaknesses associated with response capabilities, communication and information sharing for their healthcare organization or…
Healthcare Preparedness and Response Capablities 2017-2022
This document outlines the high-level objectives that the nation’s health care delivery system, including individual health care organizations, should undertake to prepare for, respond to,…
HIPAA Emergency Fact Sheet
This guide is designed to answer frequently asked questions regarding the release of information about patients following an incident. This guide does NOT replace the…
Homecare and Hospice Topic Collection
The resources in this Topic Collection include reports, toolkits, and guidance specific to homecare for providers and patients.
Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) Quick Reference Guide
Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) Quick Reference Guide
HSEEP-Compliant After Action Report and Improvement Plan Template
A Word document of the HSEEP After Action Report and Improvement Plan Template to be modified to fit your own exercise evalution.
HSEEP-Compliant Exercise Concept and Objectives Presentation
A slideshow format template to introduce and guide exercise planning team discussions.
HSEEP-Compliant Exercise Plan Template
A Word document of the HSEEP ExPlan Template to be modified to fit your own exercise plans.
Local COVID Vaccination Clinic TTX AAR/IP template (HSEEP-compliant)
This HSEEP-compliant AAR/IP template is prepopulated with PHEP and ASPR capabilities, and outlines covid vaccination clinic objectives. While designed to debrief a tabletop exercise, this…
Long-Term Care Home Health and Hospice Planning guide for Public Health Emergencies
Long-Term Care Home Health and Hospice Planning guide for Public Health Emergencies
Mass Casualty Trauma Triage: Paradigms and Pitfalls
The focus of this paper is to alert EMS medical directors and EMS systems planners and hospital emergency planners to key differences between “conventional” MCIs…
Measles Chapter – MA DPH Guide to Surveillance, Reporting, and Control
This chapter from the MA DPH guide to disease surveillance, reporting, and control contains information about measles in general, reporting criteria and requirements, lab testing…
Memo and Flowchart for NIMS Compliance
Technically formal guidance from MA DPH based on their interpretation of federal law for hospital staff, this flowchart provides informal guidance to help all preparedness…
National Health Security Strategy and Implementation Plan 2015-18
The NHSS 2015–2018 seeks to inform policies and programs; encourage coordinated planning and activities; and guide prioritization of investments of time, talents, funds, and other…
National Incident Management System 3rd Edition
This guide is designed to answer frequently asked questions regarding the release of information about patients following an incident. This guide does NOT replace the…
National Response Framework
The National Response Framework is a guide to how the Nation responds to all types of disasters and emergencies. This Framework describes specific authorities and…
Nerve Agent Information
Following the recent nerve agent poisonings in the United Kingdom, the emergency response community has requested information and advice to enhance preparedness. The US Department…
Nursing Home Incident Command System Guidebook with Planning and Response Toolkit
In partnership with the California Association of Health Facilities (CAHF), the California Department of Public Health directed federal grant-funded resources to revise the Nursing Home…
Pediatric Preparedness Exercise Resource Kit
The purpose of this American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Pediatric and Public Health Preparedness Exercise Resource Kit is to provide the tools and templates to…
Planning Considerations for Electricity-Dependent Durable Medical Equipment Users
This ASPR TRACIE fact sheet provides information on general durable medical equipment (DME) categories and focuses on electricity-dependent DME that may be affected by disasters…
Planning Considerations: Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attacks
Complex coordinated terrorist attacks represent an evolving and dynamic terrorist threat with the potential for mass casualties and instrastructure damage anywhere and at any time.…
Post-Disaster Lessons Learned: Dialysis Patient Management
ASPR TRACIE staff compiled resources and references related to post- disaster dialysis operations in response to numerous requests for technical assistance. They have also attached…
Preparing for Public Health Emergencies – A Planning Aid for Public Health and Healthcare Professionals
A compendium of descriptions of the possible consequences of disasters that would be useful for officials in public health, healthcare, and emergency management. This guide…
Promoting Innovation in Emergency Medical Services
The objective of this project was to engage a diverse group of stakeholders in a national dialogue about common challenges toward EMS innovation faced at…
Psychological First Aid – Field Operations Guide 2nd edition
Psychological First Aid is an evidence-informedapproach to help children, adolescents, adults, and families in the immediate aftermath of disaster. Psychological First Aid is designed to…
Public Health Planning Toolkit for At-Risk Individuals with Access and Functional Needs
A compilation of resources to assist in public health preparedness planning for individuals with access and functional needs.
Region 1 2018 Jurisdictional Risk Assessment Report
This is the final report from a risk assessment process sponsored by the MA DPH Office of Preparedness and Emergency Management. This risk assessment report…
Stop the Bleed Training Kits
The Western MA HMCC now offers bleeding control training kits to western MA organizations to borrow, free of charge, when offering bleeding control trainings, provided…
Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Guide
Every community should understand the risks it faces. By understanding its risks, a community can make smart decisions about how to manage risk, including developing…
Updated Preparedness and Response Framework for Influenza Pandemics
The complexities of planning for and responding to the emergence of novel influenza viruses emphasize the need for systematic frameworks to describe the progression of…
US HHS Guidance Regarding Hurricane Evacuees and CMS
A series of FAQs regarding Medicaid and SSI benefits for evacuees from Purto Rico and the US Virging Islands.
W MA COVID-19 Testing Sites
This information, sorted by western MA county, is accessed from the MA DPH website at: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/about-covid-19-testing#where-can-i-get-a-test?-. From that site, you can also download a statewide…
W MA HMCC Member Discussion Forums Guidebook
This guide is designed to assist HMCC members in getting setup to participate in member discussion forums by providing an overview of the HMCC forums…
W MA Medical Reserve Corps
The Medical Reserve Corps is a community-based, civilian volunteer program that helps build the public health infrastructure of communities nationwide. Each MRC unit is organized…
W MA Spontaneous Volunteer Management Plan
Authored by the W MA Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) in 2013, the Spontaneous Volunteer Management Plan provides guidance for safe, efficient and scalable volunteer management.…
WRHSAC Resource Guide
The Western Regional Homeland Security Advisory Council (WRHSAC) has purchased the following equipment and supplies for regional use in the four counties - Berkshire, Franklin,…