Healthcare System Preparedness and Response

Pandemic influenza has the potential to place great strain on the healthcare system. Effective pandemic preparedness will require the engagement of the entire health community, and healthcare assets from across the spectrum of care will need to be prepared to meet the increased demands. Because the overwhelming majority of healthcare in the United States is delivered by private sector entities, all healthcare organizations must both exhibit day-to-day resilience and be prepared to respond when an influenza pandemic arises. An effective healthcare response to a pandemic event requires an overall awareness of the system’s capabilities and capacities to form a “common operating picture.” Individual healthcare facilities must be prepared to adjust to varying stressors on the system over time through collaboration with diverse partners, effective information sharing, and coordination of response activities. Over the last decade, HHS has made significant investments to assist the healthcare sector in identifying gaps in preparedness, determining specific priorities, and developing plans for building and sustaining healthcare delivery. The following resources are intended to support and encourage a coordinated healthcare systems response to pandemic influenza and other threats.

Healthcare Systems Planning Resources

• Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Hospital Preparedness Program
• CDC’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response – Hospitals and Healthcare Systems Tools
• The Joint Commission: Influenza Pandemic Preparedness and Response in Ambulatory Settings
• National Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP): Interim Healthcare Coalition Checklist for Pandemic Planning [630 KB, 15 Pages]
• Crisis Standards of Care
• Healthcare Preparedness Capabilities: National Standards for Healthcare System Preparedness [1.03 MB, 72 Pages]
• ASPR Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE)

Clinical Diagnosis and Laboratory Resources

• Avian Influenza: Information for Health Professionals and Laboratorians
• Interim Guidance for Clinicians on Human Infections
• Clinical Description & Lab Diagnosis of Influenza
• Interim Guidance for Infection Control Within Healthcare Settings When Caring for Confirmed Cases, Probable Cases, and Cases Under Investigation for Infection with Novel Influenza A Viruses Associated with Severe Disease

Critical Infrastructure Planning

These documents provides contingency planning process for a pandemic. Also provides business planners with sector-specific and common pandemic information planning variables keyed to escalating disaster phases.

• Pandemic Influenza Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Guide for Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources [5.7 MB, 84 Pages]
• Pandemic Influenza Continuity of Operations Annex Template [499 KB, 30 Pages]
• Critical Infrastructure Protection for Healthcare and Public Health Sectors