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Idaho Health Care System Preparedness Program

The primary purpose of the Idaho Health Care System Preparedness Program is to upgrade the preparedness and the capabilities of Idaho health care entities to respond to bioterrorism, other outbreaks of infectious disease, other public health threats and emergencies, and to improve regional preparedness and response.

The Southeastern Idaho activities include the formation of regional health care system planning groups and the development of planning documents for regional bioterrorism preparedness.

The health care entities involved are:

• Hospitals
• Local Emergency Medical Services Agencies
• Local Emergency Planning Committees
• Outpatient Facilities
• Community and Migrant Health Centers
• American Indian/Alaskan Native Health Care Facilities
• And other health care entities and emergency planners located within our region

Funding to upgrade preparedness capabilities are through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

Specific benchmarks the health care entities are working on are:

• Surveillance
• Health care personnel deployment
• Hospital laboratory capacity
• EMS mutual aid plan
• Isolation capacity
• Communications and information technology
• Personal protective equipment
• Pharmacy surge capacity
• Decontamination
• Hospital bed capacity
• Mental health