Reminder: June Think Tank Call

Posted by: Rich Serino, Deputy Administrator, and Dr. Nicole Lurie, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Events over the last 10 years— hurricanes, tornadoes, pandemic flu — all clearly demonstrate the importance of integrating emergency management, healthcare and public health before, during and after disasters. On Thursday, June 28, during the next FEMA Think Tank conference call, we’ll talk about increasing coordination and collaboration within these sectors. For the first time, FEMA is partnering with another agency, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, to host a Think Tank conference call. By collaborating through this forum, FEMA and ASPR will highlight the importance of integrating these sectors, on local, state and federal levels.

We will host this call from Houston, Texas. The state’s history of responding to disasters, from Tropical Storm Alison to Hurricane Rita to H1N1, has led to the development of impressive coalitions: Partners from the emergency management, public health, and healthcare sectors working together to prepare for and respond to emergencies. This collaboration strengthens the resilience of our communities.

This month’s call provides an opportunity for the community to discuss best practices and stories about coordination and collaboration within emergency management, health care and public health.

During the call, we will cover:

• Emergency management coordination, improving communication with the health care and public health sectors; 
• Medical Incident Support Teams, a cutting edge best practice supporting State Emergency Management; and 
• Tennessee Mental Health Response Plan and Tennessee Recovery Project, proactive things communities are doing to mitigate the mental/emotional impact of disasters on survivors.

We encourage you to submit comments or ideas to the online collaboration forum on how to increase coordination and collaboration (before, during, or after an emergency) within the emergency management, healthcare and public health sectors.

We hope you can join the conversation over the phone, online and on Twitter:

Date: Thursday, June 28

Time: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. CDT (12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EDT)

Call-In Number: 888-989-4401

Pass Code: Think Tank

Captioning for the event

Twitter: #femathinktank

Be sure to add this information to your calendar and share it with your friends and colleagues! We look forward to hearing from you!