Earlier this year, the Center for Domestic Preparedness placed its Health Sector Emergency Preparedness I course online. In June, the center will expand on this training with the online version of Health Sector Emergency Preparedness II.
HSEP II is a 16-hour course providing participants – primarily healthcare providers and suppliers – with the tools necessary to develop their own comprehensive emergency management program.
HSEP I focuses on the fundamentals of emergency management as they relate to healthcare. HSEP II provides further information on planning for an emergency plus information about training personnel, exercising to reinforce that training and developing community networks to assist in times of emergency.
An analysis of threats which may impact a community or facility is discussed in the class and participants learn to plan based on their available resources. It also includes a four-hour ‘response and recovery’ exercise where students put their plans into action in support of an integrated community health response.
HSEP I and II were both developed to support a Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services rule issued in 2016. The rule requires health care providers and suppliers to establish and maintain an emergency operation plan and procedures and to conduct associated employee training and exercises in order to receive Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement for patient care.
HSEP I is currently available in the CDP’s online catalog at https://cdp.dhs.gov/training/course/AWR-336-W.
