Emergency Preparedness and Response
DCPCA’s Emergency Preparedness and Response program, supported by DC Health - Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Administration (HEPRA) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC), allows our member health centers to carry out their emergency preparedness, response and recovery responsibilities.
The DCPCA and its members are part of the DC Health and Medical Coalition (DC HMC) within DC Health, HEPRA. In 2017, DCPCA joined the HMC as part of their Executive Steering Committee and Core Membership body. DCPCA is a representative of the District’s community health centers and ensures health centers are integrated into preparedness and response activities as identified by the District coalition. The DC HMC provides coordination among various healthcare stakeholders in the District to ensure a prepared and resilient health care system that has operational plans, trained staff, and adequate resources. The DCPCA Preparedness Association Liaison works with our members and DC Health to ensure our preparedness goals are met and to effectively and efficiently communicate and respond during an emergency.
DCPCA’s emergency preparedness efforts include the following core activities:
Facilitate the exchange of critical information between health centers and District EP organizations and personnel. DCPCA identifies aggregate FQHC needs and communicate to District EP personnel. In turn, DCPCA disseminates key District EP information to health centers through regular newsletters, one-on-one communication, and facilitated meetings. DCPCA represents FQHCs in District-wide initiatives, in particular, the Health and Medical Coalition (HMC).
Convene the DCPCA Emergency Preparedness Task Force to provide a forum for training and sharing expertise for health center staff.
Assess health center needs relating to preparedness, security, and training against requirements and industry best practices.
Develop strategies to close identified gaps and improve the efficiency of ongoing preparedness through training and technical assistance. DCPCA coordinates trainings for health centers to meet their emergency preparedness requirements and provides technical assistance to resolve shared challenges. Trainings include tabletop exercises, emergency preparedness 101, active shooter/active threat, de-escalation, strategic communications, and many more.