The Healthcare Facilities Partnership Program (HFP)

The mission of the Healthcare Facilities Partnership Program is to improve surge capacity and enhance community and hospital preparedness for public health emergencies in defined geographic areas.  This will be accomplished through innovative and creative projects that can be replicated across the country that further the concepts surrounding:

• Enhanced situational awareness of capabilities and assets that partnership entities possess and can bring to bear during a response.
• Advanced planning and exercising of plans that address common risks and vulnerabilities and consequences in a defined geographic area.
• Fostering the development of Medical Mutual Aid agreements among partnership entities insuring the inclusion of public health, emergency management and private sector partners.
• Developing and strengthening relationships between and among partnership entities, traditional first response agencies, public health and other response partners prior to disasters and emergencies so that during and after these kinds of events, response and recovery activities happen in an expedited coordinated manner.

To be eligible for an award, the partnership must include the following:

• one or more hospitals, at least one of which shall be a designated trauma center; and
• one or more other local health care facilities, including clinics, health centers, primary care facilities, mental health centers, mobile medical assets, or nursing homes; and
• one or more political subdivisions
• one or more States; or
• one or more States and one or more political subdivisions.

Authorizing Legislation

The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-417) amended section 319C-2 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act authorizing the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award competitive grants or cooperative agreements to eligible entities to enable such entities to improve surge capacity and enhance community and hospital preparedness for public health emergencies.

Program Priorities

Required Program Activities

All partnerships must work on furthering NIMS compliance for hospitals and developing concepts of operation for ESAR VHP activities at the facility level.

Optional Funding Capabilities

Partnerships may propose additional activities that are consistent with the following goals outlined in section 2802(b) of the PHS Act:

• Integration: Insure the integration of public and private medical capabilities with public health and other first responder systems, including -
  (A) The periodic evaluation of preparedness and response capabilities through drills and exercises; and
  (B) Integrating public and private sector public health and medical donations, including volunteers.

• Medical- Increasing the preparedness, response capabilities, and surge capacity of hospitals, other health care facilities (including mental health facilities), and trauma care and emergency medical service systems, with respect to public health emergencies by developing plans for the following:
  • (A) Strengthening public health emergency medical management and treatment     capabilities.
    (B) Medical evacuation and fatality management.
    (C) Rapid distribution and administration of medical countermeasures, specifically to hospital based healthcare workers and their family members or partnership entities.
    (D) Effective utilization of any available public and private mobile medical assets and integration of other Federal assets.
    (E) Protecting health care workers and health care first responders from      workplace exposures during a public health emergency.

• At-Risk Individuals- Being cognizant of and prepared for the medical needs of at-risk individuals in their community in the event of a public health emergency.  Applications must clearly articulate what at-risk individuals with medical needs are served by the partnership and the activities the partnership will undertake to serve the medical needs of these individuals.  Medical needs include behavioral health consisting of both mental health and substance abuse considerations. The term “at-risk individuals” refers to children, pregnant women, senior citizens and other individuals who have special needs in the event of a public health emergency.

• Coordination- Minimizing duplication of, and ensuring coordination between, Federal, State, local, and tribal planning, preparedness, response and recovery activities (including the State Emergency Management Assistance Compact). Planning shall be consistent with the National Response Plan, or any successor plan, and National Incident Management System and the National Preparedness Goal as well as any State and local plans.

• Continuity of Operations - Maintaining vital public health and medical services to allow for optimal Federal, State, local, and tribal operations in the event of a public health emergency