Federal resources
 

American Academy of Pediatrics
American College of Radiology
American Hospital Association
Assistant Secretary for Response and Readiness
Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)
National Disaster Medical System (NDMS)

US Department of Health and Human Services
Terrorism and Other Public Health Emergencies: A Reference Guide for the Media

Federal Emergency Management Agency
The following documents describe the FEMA Policy on Reimbursements and an overview of FEMA.  The Policy is from 1999 and needs to be revised to post 9-11 thinking. (Note: 7.B.2. "Ineligible costs include the following: a. Cost of emergency medical treatment of any kind (including vaccinations)).  Until FEMA changes their policy to reflect the changing world following 9-11, this is what hospitals must work with in seeking reimbursement.

• FEMA Reimbursement Policy 9525.4 Medical Care and Evacuations

• FEMA Overview
   

  IS 100-Introduction to Incident Command System
  Incident Command training is being developed and offered for a variety of disciplines, including Federal Disaster Workers, Public Works, Law Enforcement, and Public Health. All of the ICS training offered through these courses is consistent. However, the various versions include examples and exercises specific to each of these disciplines.

  IS 200-ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
  ICS 200 is designed to enable personnel to operate efficiently during an incident or event within the Incident Command System (ICS). ICS-200 provides training on and resources for personnel who are likely to assume a supervisory position within the ICS.
  
  IS 700 - National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction
  On February 28, 2003, President Bush issued Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5. HSPD-5 directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and administer a National Incident Management System (NIMS). NIMS provides a consistent nationwide template to enable all government, private-sector, and nongovernmental organizations to work together during domestic incidents.

  This course introduces NIMS and takes approximately three hours to complete. It explains the purpose, principles, key components and benefits of NIMS. The course also contains "Planning Activity" screens giving you an opportunity to complete some planning tasks during this course. The planning activity screens are printable so that you can use them after you complete the course.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA)
 "HIPAA Privacy and Security Implications for Field Triage," Roselyn Schulman
  Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996:  Privacy and Security  Implications for Field Triage
 "The HIPAA Rule and Bioterrorism Planning, Prevention, and Response," James G. Hodge, Jr., JD, LLP

US Department of Health and Human Services
Terrorism and Other Public Health Emergencies: A Reference Guide for the Media

Water Health Connection
Physician Preparedness for Acts of Water Terrorism - The primary purpose of this Physician Readiness for Acts of Water Terrorism guide is to address this critical need and provide healthcare practitioners with streamlined access to resources that will help guide them through the recognition, management and prevention of water-related disease resulting from intentional acts of water terrorism.

Government Accountability Office
Critical Infrastructure Protection: Improving Information Sharing with Infrastructure Sectors. GAO-04-780, July 9.
Highlights

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
The AHRQ recently unveiled a new Web site that teaches hospital-based physicians and nurses how to diagnose and treat rare infections and exposures to bioterrorist agents such as anthrax and smallpox. Designed by researchers in the Center for Disaster Preparedness at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) under a contract for AHRQ, the Web site is the first of its kind to offer free continuing education credits in bioterrorism preparedness to clinicians. The site currently offers five online courses through the UAB Office of Continuing Medical Education for emergency department clinicians, including physicians, nurses, radiologists, pathologists, and infection control practitioners.