HCIF is the recipient of $4.2 million in disaster preparedness funding through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. These funds are being used for the purpose of planning a coordinated response by regional hospitals in the event of a disaster and to establish regional medical surge capacity.
Key components of the project include:
- establishment of a cache of critical supplies and equipment;
- implementation of a regional emergency response team;
- development of a data communications infrastructure.
On February 9, 2009, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Specialized Medical Response Team (SEPA SMRT) hosted a public, hands-on demonstration of its deployable medical equipment, including inflatable portable hospitals, portable ventilators and cardiac monitors, at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA. The region's newest emergency preparedness resource was designed to serve community needs and supplement response efforts by hospitals and others in the event of a disaster. SEPA SMRT is a collaboration of the Delaware Valley Healthcare Council of HAP, the Health Care Improvement Foundation, the Pennsylvania Southeast Region Task Force, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
