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FDA Approves First COVID-19 Vaccine
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years…
COVID-19 Vaccines
Scroll below vaccine planning and communication resources to see an article listing.
MA COVID Command Center affirms Quarantine Expectations for First Reponders
Last week, the MA Office of Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders issued a letter to confirm that, consistent with Massachusetts COVID-19 Command Center guidance, EMS providers and first responders are not required to quarantine following an exposure to…
Article: What you need to know about the Moderna and Pfizer coronavirus vaccines
Both appear to be more than 90 percent effective in clinical trials and could begin to be available before the end of the year.
Article: The End of the Pandemic Is Now in Sight
A year of scientific uncertainty is over. Two vaccines look like they will work, and more should follow.
Video Now Available from “Working with Translators and Interpreters in Public Health and Healthcare Settings”
In this workshop, staff from the UMass Amherst Translation Center provided an overview of considerations regarding interpreting and translation needs, tools, and best practices within a public health or healthcare setting. Specific topics covered included: Should bilingual employees in your…
MA COVID-19 Command Center Situation Reports
MA COVID-19 Command Center Situation Report Thursday June 17 MA COVID-19 Command Center Situation Report Thursday June 10 MA COVID-19 Command Center Situation Report Thursday June 3 MA COVID-19 Command Center Situation Report Thursday May 27 MA COVID-19 Command Center…
COVID-19 Pandemic
The W MA HMCC provides support within a multi-agency response by supporting the MA State Department of Public Health, healthcare providers and local health jurisdictions. Standing links to state and federal partners that issue clinical or public information guidance and…
Governor Baker Declares State of Emergency to Support Commonwealth’s Response to Coronavirus
Today Governor Charlie Baker declared a State of Emergency in Massachusetts to support the Commonwealth’s response to the outbreak of Coronavirus. The Baker-Polito Administration also announced new guidance for Executive Branch employees in order to prevent and mitigate the spread of COVID-19.…
First Presumptive Positive Case of COVID-19 Identified by Massachusetts State Public Health Laboratory
CDC to conduct additional testing to confirm state’s possible second case.
Funding opportunity soon be announced
The MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs will announce, likely in March 2020, the addition of new funding into the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Action Grant Program. This new funding will focus on climate change, the healthcare sector, and public…
Registration Now Open for Violent Critical Incident Tabletop Exercise
Building off last spring’s Active Shooter Planning Considerations Workshop, this tabletop exercise will have attendees examine their response, recovery, and/or continuity of operations plans through the lens of responding to and recovering from a violent critical incident. While the workshop…
Commission Aims to Create Roadmap for US Role in Global Health Security
A commission including global health and national security leaders, and members of Congress has released a set of recommendations it believes can serve as a blueprint for improved U.S. action on global health security. “We began the Commission’s work with…
CISA Releases Cyber Essentials
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released its Cyber Essentials, a starting point for small businesses and government agencies to understand and address cybersecurity risk as they do other risks. Developed in collaboration with small businesses and state and…
This High-Tech Solution to Disaster Response May Be Too Good to Be True
Major cities are turning to a Silicon Valley start-up to help save lives in an emergency. But some fear its promise has been dangerously exaggerated.
Opinion: A liability problem could delay supply of emergency respirators
Imagine an Ebola epidemic is ravaging a community, or a dirty bomb goes off in a major city — but health workers can’t enter the affected area because they lack adequate respiratory protective devices (respirators) meant to protect them from…
CYBER ALERT – BlueKeep Exploit Affecting Medical Devices
A newly identified exploit, known as BlueKeep, is being used by unauthorized actors to gain system level access to healthcare networks via unprotected medical devices. This exploit is similar to the Eternal Blue exploit used to spread the ransomware, WannaCry,…
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health’s Center For Health Security Releases 2018 Annual Report
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Health Security released its 2018 annual report. The report details the center’s efforts to enhance research and analysis on major domestic and international health security issues, including emerging infectious diseases and…
HHS Has Released 2019-2022 U.S. Health Security Strategy
Late last week, The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services released its 2019-2022 National Health Security Strategy, which “provides a vision for strengthening [the] nation’s ability to prevent, detect, assess, prepare for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from 21st…
Upcoming Training: Emergency Risk Communication in Practice for Health Professionals
The Local Public Health Institute of Massachusetts will offer a free risk communication training in western MA in February 2019 at no cost to attendees. This course is geared towards the following audiences: Health professionals EMTs/Paramedics Health Facility Administrators Physicians…
2018 Updated Public Health Preparedness Capabilities Released
In 2011, CDC established 15 capabilities that serve as national standards for public health preparedness planning. Since then, these capability standards have served as a vital framework for state, local, tribal, and territorial preparedness programs as they plan, operationalize, and…
Senators Blast Nursing Home Operators, CMS Over Emergency Prep Rules
Members of a Senate committee on Friday released a critical report on emergency preparedness in the nation’s nursing homes, accusing both operators and the federal government of failing residents during storms and other disasters. Compiled by the Democratic members of…
October 2018 Full Coalition Meeting
Our fall 2018 Full Coalition meeting drew together western MA healthcare and public health stakeholders to offer disciplinary and HMCC-level updates, and partake of a program focusing on models of community paramedicine and mobile integrated health. For that main program,…
Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense Releases Updated Federal Policy Recommendations
Earlier this month, the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense released an updated report, "Holding the Line on Biodefense: State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Reinforcements Needed", which highlights several recommendations for how federal policy can help to render state, local,…
HMCC Leadership Elects New Officers
Jacqueline Johnson, Chief Operating Officer of Caring Health Center HMCC Steering Committee Chair
Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response comments on newly released National Biodefense Strategy
"Today, the White House and four federal departments unveiled a comprehensive National Biodefense Strategy to make America safer against modern biological threats to the United States. In the 21st century, biological threats are increasingly complex and dangerous, and that demands…
How the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention responds to a hurricane like Florence
For all the political chatter about the human toll of hurricanes, one lesson of past monster storms is clear and increasingly urgent: Hurricanes claim lives and erode health before, during and after the water, wind and rain hit. To reduce…
Stop the Bleed Training Kits Now Available
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 the organization will not make a profit from the training. The kits, four in total,…
Plan for Emergencies and Disasters During Preparedness Month
FRAMINGHAM, MA – Governor Charlie Baker has proclaimed September 2018 to be Emergency Preparedness Month to highlight the importance of emergency preparedness and to encourage planning for disasters and other types of emergencies. To help individuals and families prepare during Emergency Preparedness…
STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS ALERT RESIDENTS TO POTENTIAL MEASLES EXPOSURE AN EASTERN MA HOSPITAL AND OTHER LOCATIONS
BOSTON (August, 23, 2018) The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) has confirmed a case of measles which was diagnosed at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center (LHMC). The individual, during their infectious period, was in a number of locations that…
How to get ready for a CMS emergency preparedness survey
When 12 residents of a Florida nursing home died in the days following Hurricane Irma, the need for better emergency preparedness came to the fore. That's one reason why the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' emergency preparedness rule has…
FEMA Seeks Feedback on Draft Planning Guide re: Evacuations and Shelter-in-Place
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is seeking feedback on the draft document released last Friday, August 10th, Planning Considerations: Evacuation and Shelter-in-Place. Feedback and recommendations received will help ensure the final version of the guide is an effective resource for…
We’re Hiring!
The Franklin Regional Council of Governments seeks a well-rounded, professional, and intelligent candidate for a 30 hr/wk grant-funded position assisting with a variety of regional emergency preparedness activities in western Massachusetts.
Opinion: EMS coordination: Healthcare coalitions provide organized cooperation
Healthcare coalitions offer EMS a “seat at the table” for regional emergency planning.
Pandemic Virus Exercise from John Hopkins Shows Our Vulnerability
A leading medical institution created a simulation that shows how a new disease could kill 900 million people — and it reveals how unprepared we are.
Opinion: Changes to the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act are essential to saving lives in disasters
In this opinion piece, Dr. Kadlec offers his thoughts on the re-authorization of Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA), and highlights his priorities and recommendations for further legislative commitment. Dr. Robert Kadlec is the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response…
FEMA Releases Planning Considerations: Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attacks
Earlier this week, FEMA released Planning Considerations: Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attacks to aid all community partners, including all levels of government, infrastructure owners and operators, small businesses, non-profit organizations, and volunteer organizations, in planning and preparing for complex coordinated terrorist…
More Dangerous Outbreaks Are Happening. Why Aren’t We Worried About The Next Epidemic?
Ebola. MERS. Zika. Nipah virus. Lassa fever. Rift Valley fever. All were in active outbreaks in June.
Drill – Significant Stuff Going Down All Hands Needed
Some really heavy stuff is going down that requires the assistance of all local public health and community health centers with messaging. Duty Officer are working closely with the state EOC to coordinate messaging.
Winter Storm X – This is a Drill Post.
This is a drill post to gain practice with quickly shifting coalition status level and all necessary asks of the Coalition membership. Note there are existing links in the template format already. Further can be added as needed.
2017 Hurricane Season FEMA After-Action Report
The unprecedented scale, scope, and impacts of the complex combination of hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria tested capabilities FEMA has developed and improved since hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. Following the 2017 hurricane season, FEMA conducted an after-action review of the…
Brooks releases bipartisan reauthorization bill to protect U.S. from public health threats
U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN) has introduced the bipartisan Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act (PAHPA) of 2018 to reauthorize the nation’s main law ensuring Americans are prepared to respond to public health emergencies resulting from chemical,…
Baystate Noble Hospital Honored for Stroke Care
Baystate Noble Hospital received the American Heart Assoc./American Stroke Assoc. Get with the Guidelines – Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award, recognizing the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines…
Congressional Leaders Call Out HHS Leaders on Healthcare Cybersecurity Center
A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives wrote a joint letter June 5 to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar voicing concerns and confusion about the status of the one-year-old Healthcare Cybersecurity and…
Antimicrobial resistance threatens our health security — both domestically and globally
Following the recent news that the new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reached an urban area where its spread can accelerate, congressional attention to reauthorizing the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) is timely.…
What Is a Healthcare Coaliton?
Lori Upton, MS, Director of Regional Preparedness for the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council (SETRAC), speaks to the fundamental composition and purpose of healthcare coalitions. Ms. Upton joined the region 1 HMCC and our Region 2 counterparts this past spring…
House health subcommittee members prepare PAHPA reauthorization
Members of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health on Wednesday considered proposed updates to the nation’s law on preparing for and responding to national and global public health emergencies resulting from any chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear…
Tips for Emergency Preparedness
Healthcare Professionals can take slight measures to aid their facilities in preparing for potential crises. Here’s how. When it comes to providing safe and effective healthcare, the formality of following algorithms and protocols is perhaps more important than in any…
Storm surge: After Irma, Harvey and Maria, providers prep for a new hurricane season
Amanda Leite's daughter Nicole was running a fever while her family was shut in by Hurricane Irma. The worst of the storm was tearing through the Orlando, Fla., area on Sept. 6, 2017, when Leite's 4-year-old was sick. It sounded…
TFAH Applauds the Introduction of the Bipartisan Pandemic And All-Hazards Preparedness And Advancing Innovation Act–But Improvements Can Be Made
WASHINGTON, May 22, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement from John Auerbach, President and CEO, of Trust for America's Health (TFAH) on the introduction of the Senate HELP Committee's Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation (PAHPAI) Act:…
HMCC Participates in Patient Evacuation Exercise
The Western MA Health & Medical Coordinating Coalition participated in a tabletop exercise on April 25th testing the MA Dept. of Public Health’s new Patient Placement Coordination Plan. Following federal requirements, the Department had to practice moving at least 20% of…
Inside the secret U.S. stockpile meant to save us all in a bioterror attack
A SECRET LOCATION OUTSIDE WASHINGTON, D.C. — From the outside, it looks like an ordinary commercial warehouse, only much bigger, about the size of two super Walmarts. Inside it’s dark except when motion sensors are triggered. When the lights come…
October 2017 Full Coalition Meeting
Our Full Coalition convening in the fall of 2017 was the venue in which we hosted JSI Research and Training, a contractor hired by the MA Department of Public Health to conduct regional Jurisdictional Risk Assessments in each Massachusetts HMCC…
April 2017 Full Coalition Meeting
Our April 2017 Full Coalition Meeting allowed for HMCC updates to our membership, and featured presentations from Jessica Collins, Executive Director of Partners for a Healthier Community (since renamed the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts) on “Foundations of Health Equity”, and Chad…
October 2016 Full Coalition Meeting
Our first Full Coalition Meeting was held in October of 2016 after a rigorous planning process to form the HMCC. We had great attendance and participation as we outlined our progress thus far, and highlighted what was coming for the…