Region IV ESF-8 Unified Planning Coalition

History:

Following the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons, it was apparent to public health preparedness officials that disasters impact multiple states. Florida required assistance from dozens of states to respond to the health and medical needs of the 2004 hurricanes. Then in 2005, following Hurricane Katrina, Florida and many other states played a key role in responding to the needs of the Mississippi gulf coast.

The ESF8 (Emergency Support Function - Health and Medical) system in Florida varied greatly from Mississippi's system. It was obvious to all involved that pre-event collaboration and planning would have made the multi-state response more unified and thus more effective.

In March of 2006, Florida along with federal partners brought together members from all Region IV states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee) to address interstate planning and response. Since that meeting, a core group of ESF8 leaders from each region IV state have continued to meet and work together in planning for inter-state health and medical issues.

Partners:

Region IV states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Federal: Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), Association for State and Territorial Health Officers (ASTHO), and the Veteran's Administration (VA)

Additional participants from New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Massachusetts and Oklahoma have attended some meetings. Those involved include: ESF8 leads from all Region IV states, health and medical partners from public and private agencies, high level planners, and emergency management staff.

Regional and National Benefits:

Since the creation of the Region IV Unified Planning Coalition, Region IV states have more effective, integrated, and coordinated response systems. Common response protocols have been developed and best practices are shared daily. Extensive pre-event planning has taken place for many of the hazards that face Region IV states including hurricanes, mass fatality events, and pandemic influenza.

ESF8 leadership and federal partners within Region IV have developed strong professional relationships and regular communication. Plans, processes, tools and contacts have been shared, allowing partners to benefit from work in other states. In addition, partners and responders have been brought together in non-disaster times to address issues that face all states.

Current Projects

• Interstate Resource Coordinating Team (IRCT): Is an asset developed by the Region IV ESF8 Unified Planning Coalition to assist each other during a disaster response. This team, composed of members from each Region IV state, will assist an impacted state in interstate planning, resource identification and allocation. The team will utilize the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) to accomplish their objectives.
• State Profiles: As part of the IRTC, state profiles have been developed for each Region IV state. These profiles contain key information about the government structure, emergency management system, public health infrastructure, and emergency health & medical (ESF8) system. The goal of the profiles is to orient members of the IRCT (or other responders) to the system they will be working in during a disaster.
• Regional Asset Typing: A Region IV workgroup has been established to evaluate and develop common definitions of health and medical resources to ensure they are the same from state to state. State differences in asset definitions can prevent resources from getting to those who need it most during a public health emergency.
• Interstate Mortuary Operations: Mass fatality experts have joined Region IV ESF8 planners to identify key issues related to disaster mortuary operations. An action plan has been developed to resolve interstate issues.
• NDMS Patient Evacuations: State and federal partners are developing strategies for moving patients from state to state during disasters. Key planning considerations are notification, process and returning patients to their home state.
• Pandemic Influenza Planning: Special Region IV meetings have been held to bring epidemiology, communication, legal and emergency management experts together to discuss Pan Flu inter-state issues. Efforts are being made to align the policy level decisions that are being made from state-to-state.
• Pharmaceutical Planning: Many pharmacy related issues such as anti-viral allocation, Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) planning, and pharmaceutical caches are being discussed at multiple levels within the Region IV ESF8 Unified Planning Coalition.

Future Projects:

• Expand to all ESF8 Components: As the Unified Planning Coalition grows, additional areas of the health & medical system are being brought into the process. Hospitals, long term care agencies, emergency medical services (EMS), and trauma systems have been encouraged and provided a platform to join.
• Develop Uniform Emergency Status/Tracking Systems: Multiple emergency status/tracking systems are currently being utilized within Region IV. States are reviewing the pros and cons of each system and working toward utilizing uniform or interoperable systems.
• Align Logistical Staging Systems: Each state has identified the current logistical system being utilized in their state as a part of the state profiles. Over time, the coalition plans to better align the systems being used across Region IV.

For more information, contact:

Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.

Samantha Cooksey,
Region IV Coordinator
Office of Emergency Operations
Florida Department of Health
850-245-4444 ext. 3696
Regional and National Initiatives

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