Healthcare System Preparedness and Response

Pandemic influenza has the potential to place great strain on the healthcare system. Effective pandemic preparedness will require the engagement of the entire health community, and healthcare assets from across the spectrum of care will need to be prepared to meet the increased demands. Because the overwhelming majority of healthcare in the United States is delivered by private sector entities, all healthcare organizations must both exhibit day-to-day resilience and be prepared to respond when an influenza pandemic arises. An effective healthcare response to a pandemic event requires an overall awareness of the system’s capabilities and capacities to form a “common operating picture.” Individual healthcare facilities must be prepared to adjust to varying stressors on the system over time through collaboration with diverse partners, effective information sharing, and coordination of response activities. Over the last decade, HHS has made significant investments to assist the healthcare sector in identifying gaps in preparedness, determining specific priorities, and developing plans for building and sustaining healthcare delivery. The following resources are intended to support and encourage a coordinated healthcare systems response to pandemic influenza and other threats.

Healthcare Systems Planning Resources

Clinical Diagnosis and Laboratory Resources

Critical Infrastructure Planning

These documents provides contingency planning process for a pandemic. Also provides business planners with sector-specific and common pandemic information planning variables keyed to escalating disaster phases.