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$658K grant for CHC emergency preparedness OK’d
The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. was notified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that it will receive a grant award totaling to $658,184 to strengthen all hazards emergency preparedness response in the CNMI.
The corporation’s emergency preparedness program administers the public health and hospital emergency preparedness cooperative agreement, which supports the public health and hospital in demonstrating measurable and sustainable progress towards achieving 15 hospital preparedness capabilities and other activities that promote awareness, prevention, readiness and more resilient communities.
Corporation CEO Juan N. Babauta confirmed receiving the notification from DHHS and claimed that the corporation has made tremendous advances in hospital preparedness and response since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The terrorist attacks highlighted the importance of health security and the need to expand the federal government’s investments in state and local public health and hospital Preparedness.
Warren F. Villagomez, director of CHCC’s Public Health and Hospital Emergency Preparedness Program, oversees the entire programs goals and objectives.
Villagomez, in a statement Friday, said together with the corporation’s partnership and coalition with the Office of Homeland Security, other government agencies and non-government agencies, and other private healthcare providers, the corporation’s Public Health and Hospital Emergency Preparedness Program indicates that much progress has been made to build capacity in public health awareness and response capabilities in receiving, distributing, and dispensing medical assets.
Villagomez said the Public Health and Hospital Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreements focuses on advancing both preparedness through public health surveillance, community preparedness, medical countermeasure dispensing, responder safety and health, emergency operations coordination, emergency public information and warning, volunteer management, and other capabilities.
It also addresses lessons learned during the recent large-scale incidents like the H1N1 influenza pandemic response by encouraging health departments to develop and implement strategies for effective state and local government’s emergency response, he added.
