“Public health problems pose special challenges. They are generally enormous in scale, stem from numerous and highly complex causes, play out in the public eye, impact a vast array of stakeholders, and require unusually long-term solutions. The massive scope and complexity of such problems, including conditions such as uncontrolled childhood mortality, suboptimal maternal health, HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, among others, affect millions worldwide. Furthermore, the health issues quickly trigger a host of other family, economic, and social problems that ruin lives, erode communities, and weaken countries.”
– Journal of Public Health, Fostering public health leadership article
Concerned about another crisis?
Health departments play a critical role in achieving health security, including preparing communities for potential threats, mitigating those threats, responding to emergencies, and aiding in the recovery process. Over the past few years, public health has been faced with heightened scrutiny, lack of trust, and the need to evolve and keep up with the latest natural disasters, environmental, and infectious disease threats.
How HMA can help
HMA assists state, local, territorial, and tribal health departments with:
Plan writing, including emergency operations, hazard mitigation, medical counter measures, mass fatality, pandemic, continuity of operations, and crisis communications.
Reviewing and synthesizing emergency plans, policies, and procedures into actionable and meaningful abbreviated checklists.
Training and exercise development, including tabletop exercises, full scale exercises, hot wash debrief facilitation, after action report writing.
Workforce analyses, including determining if your health department is adequately staffed to respond to an emergency and maintain the foundational public health functions.
Capacity building and strategic infrastructure investment, including spending plans, funding, and development of action plans.
Staff/workforce resilience and morale, including team building, workforce assessments, and strategic planning.
Equity and Inclusion, including access and functional needs.
Infection control, including facilitating trainings, plan writing, and compliance.
Our Colleagues and Expertise
HMA public health preparedness experts applicable experience and expertise to assist public health agencies in preparing, mitigating, responding to, and recovering from public health emergencies.
- Managing and coordinating Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) grants and emergency response and recovery activities at state, local and territorial health departments.
- Developing emergency operation plans, procedures, and guidelines for emergency response projects.
- Multifaceted public health strategic planning, which incorporates health services access, social service integration, workforce sustainability, data modernization, and environmental considerations.
- Former staff from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)’s public health preparedness program.
- Supply chain management of medicines and other health technology resources.
- Development of evidence-based infection control practice, policy, and procedures.
- Colleagues educated via the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) in infection control prevention practices and public policy.
Project Spotlight
HMA worked with El Paso County Public Health (EPCPH) leadership to extend the reach of EPCPH staff during this pandemic and support the quick development of a COVID-19 recovery plan and an After Action Report (AAR). HMA gathered background information, intelligence, and templates from EPCPH staff, drawing from the prior COVID-19 plans. HMA documented best practices from other counties where HMA currently supported COVID-19 response planning and conducted interviews with EPCPH staff as needed to provide input into the plans. HMA drafted two plans: 1) a COVID-19 recovery plan, including a review of the transition back after COVID-19, health department continuity of operations (COOP) as it moved back to normal and indicators for return to work, and 2) an AAR for EPCPH’s positives and negatives related to the following: variances, EH (masks, capacity) compliance (masks, capacity), case investigation/contract tracing, and data analytics as well as med surge.
HMA evaluated COVID-19 response activities within the Hospital Association of California (HASC) member facilities and partners across the regions served. HMA reviewed a representative sample of member facility and partner agency plans developed and utilized during the response. We reviewed relevant annexes, guidance from local and state public health, member facilities, and federal agencies activated, alongside open-source information. HMA also examined documentation developed during response and recovery, including situation reports, memorandums of understanding, messaging to facilities, memos about response, training, and exercise events to perform an analysis of activities and references. In addition, this project garnered input from other key healthcare and government stakeholders in the regional market, including emergency medical services, public health, city and county governments, transportation, and others via online surveys and small group interviews. The creation of a Mid-Action Report/Best Practices Plan was particularly important to document lessons learned, best practices, and improvement items to inform ongoing efforts and future readiness initiatives to improve HASC’s capabilities and the planning needs of its members.
Contact our experts:
Brent Barkett
Principal
Lisa Harrison
Associate Principal
Zipatly V. Mendoza
Senior Consultant
Yamini Narayan
Senior Consultant
Hannah Savage
Consultant
Linda Vail
Principal
