Surge capacity

The Center has developed a series of initiatives to address anticipated needs for increased facilities during a disaster or other emergency event.

• Ottilie M. Lundgren Memorial Field Hospital
  During a disaster or other large-scale emergency event, hospitals must remain prepared to provide continuous care for existing patients while caring for a sudden and perhaps continuing onslaught of critically ill patients, many of whom may require quarantine. To protect Connecticut's health care infrastructure under such conditions, the center is collaborating with the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the Connecticut National Guard to develop administrative and operational plans and protocols to staff, equip and manage a 100-bed mobile and surge hospital (MaSH) to provide bed surge capacity in a disaster. The facility will be deployable anywhere in the state to provide needed bed surge capacity as well as space to quarantine the sickest patients. When not in use for such purposes, the MaSH will be used as a training facility for emergency responders and as a national demonstration facility to assist other state, regional and national entities that want to establish their own comparable facilities.
• Statewide biodosimetry laboratory
  Developed by the Center in collaboration with the Connecticut Department of Public Health, the statewide biodosimetry laboratory provides timely assessment of radiation exposure to help guide the actions of health care personnel and emergency officials. In addition to using proven analytical methods, the laboratory is also developing new methodologies for calculating individual radiation exposure, which will allow for the screening of a larger number of people in the event of a radiation incident involving mass casualties. One of only three laboratories in the nation focusing on biological dosimetry, it is a leader in evaluating and managing the health risks of radiation exposure.

Contact: center@ynhh.org

Equipment and supplies surge capacity

No single organization or agency can or should stockpile enough equipment, supplies or pharmaceuticals to fully address a sudden large-scale disaster. Instead, a consistent, coordinated stockpile approach among many organizations will ensure that a community or region can access the disaster supplies needed to address its needs during an emergency. The center has engaged in a variety of practical activities to coordinate the equipment and supplies capacity of health care delivery facilities in case of an emergency including:

• Coordination of the identification and purchase of decontamination and personal protective equipment on a statewide basis for hospitals and emergency medical services providers to enhance response capacity.
• Coordination of training across the state on the use of decontamination and personnel protective equipment for hospitals and emergency medical services providers.
• Coordination of the expanded availability of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtered rooms in acute care hospital emergency departments statewide.
• Development of a health care medical stockpiling strategy that integrates planning across facilities and considers evidence-based disaster medicine when making recommendations for types and quantities of supplies needed for specific disasters.

Contact: center@ynhh.org