About RIHCA - Emergency Preparedness
Chronic Care Sustainability Initiative of Rhode Island (CSI-RI)
RIHCA leads and facilitates the RI health centers’ Emergency Preparedness Team,
which is comprised of key leadership/staff from across the health centers as well
as representatives from the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) and the Hospital
Association of Rhode Island (HARI). The main purposes of this team is to facilitate
the collaboration between health centers and the hospitals and other responders
in their geographical regions regarding emergency planning and to assure that health
centers are prepared to fulfill their role in the overall state emergency plan.
The Emergency Preparedness Team meets quarterly, and members take their knowledge
and integrate it into the ongoing emergency preparedness activities at their centers.
In addition, they serve as the “resident expert” and point person for the identification
of training and technical assistance needs of their center.
RIHCA and its members play an important role in the ongoing evolution of the nation's
emergency preparedness infrastructure as the nation continues to mobilize against
threats of terrorism, while still maintaining readiness for more traditional emergencies,
such as pandemic flu threats, power outages, floods and hurricanes.
Consistent with expectations of the Healthcare Resources and Services Administration
(HRSA) and under an agreement with HEALTH, the 2008-09 Emergency Preparedness deliverables
for RI’s health centers include maintaining/updating hazard vulnerability assessments
(HVAs) and Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs), maintaining an adequate pharmaceutical
cache, ongoing staff training in the National Incident Management System (NIMS)
and the Hospital Incident Command System (HICS), and conducting at least one on-site
emergency exercise. RIHCA supports the health centers in meeting these deliverables
through facilitation of the Emergency Preparedness Team, ongoing collaboration with
local agencies and community partners, and the provision of ongoing training/technical
assistance to our member health centers.