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DPH reviews emergency preparedness: more activations, deeper healthcare coalition and community training
Summary
Department leaders described expanded preparedness work including statewide and citywide exercises, a strengthened healthcare coalition that now includes skilled nursing facilities, psychological first-aid trainings, and an uptick in activations (12 in 2018 vs. 15 so far in 2019).
Dr. Gurley presented the San Francisco Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (FEPR) annual update, describing proactive preparedness work and recent responses. FEPR has expanded its healthcare coalition to include hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, methadone and dialysis clinics, and ambulatory care partners; it launched quarterly bulletins and deepened partnerships with community organizations that serve vulnerable populations.
Gurley summarized recent preparedness activities: a citywide medical-needs disaster shelter exercise at St. Marys Cathedral, a statewide medical-health exercise with a pandemic wrinkle that included skilled nursing facilities, psychological first-aid trainings (over 300 participants across 11 sessions), and continuity-of-operations training for methadone providers. She noted 12 full activations in 2018 (87 days) and 15 full activations so far in 2019, and cited events such as prolonged hepatitis A prevention work, wildfire smoke guidance, a chiller failure / IT shutdown and an extreme heat activation that strained EMS resources.
Commissioners asked about neighborhood-level preparedness (NERT and community disaster-response teams) and whether local organizations could be further integrated into response plans; Gurley said NERT lives with the fire department and FEPR coordinates through the citys Emergency Operations Center, and she offered to report back with more details on neighborhood hub activity and partnerships. Commissioners emphasized equity concerns and the need to plan for medically dependent residents during sustained outages.
