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Center for HealthCare Emergency Readiness (CHCER)

In the News:

“The history of man is a graveyard of great cultures that came to catastrophic ends because of their incapacity for planning, rational voluntary reaction to challenges”

- Eric Fromm

The Center for Health Care Emergency Readiness (CHCER) was created to help prepare hospitals and healthcare organizations from all sectors to meet their expected role, as full partners, in the nation’s strategy to protect its citizens from the harmful effects of today's all hazards. Building on existing efforts to meet these challenges, CHCER assists in strengthening the organiztion's tradtional foundation to meet natural hazards and enhance capabilities to address emerging threats.

By meeting the demands posed by the triple threats of evolving infectious diseases, more frequent and robust natural disasters and increasing evidence that hospitals and healthcare organizations are seen as soft and desireable targets for terrorism, a safer and more secure workplace is possible with benefits to all. CHCER solutions do not supplant current accrediting or other oversight mechanisms. Existing oversight mechanisms are necessary but not sufficient to meet today's increasingly hostile environment.

Required Hazard Vulnerability Analyses focus on historically significant threats while other significant threats loom. Traditional oversight activities do not fully address comprehensive hospital Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (with/without radioactive materials) (CBRNE) and natural disaster readiness issues.

CHCER is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)

CAGE Code: 4XXJ4

Culture of Patient Safety is not Enough - Has your healthcare organization:

Developed tested emergency management plans addressing threats of terrorism and pandemics, as well as natural disasters based upon a community-wide “All Hazards Vulnerability Analysis?”

Prepared to meet the Roles and Responsibilities in the Nation's Strategy for Homeland Security Protection?

Established and tested an Incident Command System as envisioned in Hospital Incident Command Structure (HICS)?

Developed a plan that adequately addresses security issues, such as the ultimate protection of the critical infrastructure as defined by the Homeland Security Presidential Directives? (HSPDs)

Trained its staff in ways to identify, mitigate, respond to and recover from an All-Hazards event?

Ensured that all of your outsourced clinical and administrative programs are in concert with your larger Hospital Emergency Plan?

Identified alternative care sites which meet the needs of your day-to-day operations plus surge?

Identified adequate sources of information on which to make critical decisions on “evacuate or protect in place”?

Verified the status of State laws which support or fail to support an effective response to mass casualty events?

If the answer to any of the above questions is "no", the time to act is now. CHCER will assist your organization in preparing for today's threats and vulnerabilities.

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