Throughout the past several years, CHCACT has been broadening its network of Emergency Preparedness partners. Recently, we have established a closer relationship with Americares, a “health-focused relief and development organization that responds to people affected by poverty or disaster with life-changing medicine, medical supplies and health programs.” (See more about Americares here.) Included among Americares variety of programs are Emergency Programs aimed at helping community health centers prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters.

Domina DiBiase, Operations Manager

Last week, CHCACT partnered with Americares to take advantage of one of these programs. On September 21^st and 22^nd, 24 attendees representing 9 FQHCs were in CHCACT’s offices for a 2-day Emergency Preparedness (EP) Bootcamp. Over the course of this 2-day boot camp, attendees were given the opportunity to sit with other members of their staff and get into the weeds on certain aspects of their Emergency Operations Plans. Through a mix of didactic and collaborative work sessions, each participant in the boot camp was able to quickly advance their own EP knowledge, as well as their individual FQHC’s EP program, all while having access to professionals in emergency management.

Personally, I was thrilled to witness the level of collaboration and growth in knowledge that each participant experienced over the two days! It can often be difficult to find EP resources tailored to the FQHC environment, so a 2-day program specifically focused on FQHCs that emphasizes collaboration among the group can have quite an impact. I hope to facilitate many more such sessions in the coming months!

Have a great week!

Domina