History of Healthcare Coalitions
The origination of healthcare coalitions, and the associated Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP), can be traced back to the events of September 11, 2001 and the subsequent anthrax attacks that same year. These events highlighted the lack of preparedness for bioterrorist attacks in the U.S. To address these gaps at the hospital level, the HPP was created in 2002. This new Federal program provided funding to states to build capacity around activities associated with decontamination, pharmaceutical caches, hospital bed surge capacity, and training.
In 2004, the emphasis of the program shifted to an all-hazards approach and put a greater emphasis on hospitals to demonstrate their ability to perform functions associated with all types of responses.
Today, healthcare coalitions continue to function with an emphasis on an all-hazards approach. Over the years, the primary activities and membership has evolved, but the core mission has remained the same: to enable the healthcare delivery system to save lives during emergencies and disaster events that exceed the day-to-day capacity and capability of existing health and emergency response systems.
For additional information on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Office of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR)’s Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP), please view this brief video highlighting the last 15 years of the HPP initiative:
Development of the North Central Region Healthcare Coalition
Healthcare coalitions in the State of Colorado have been in existence since the inception of the HPP, but in 2017, they underwent a significant change to shift the focus of preparedness efforts to the regional level, in alignment with numerous federal and local initiatives. The North Central Region Healthcare Coalition (NCR HCC) came into existence as a result of this 2017 restructuring initiative. The new boundaries for Colorado’s coalitions were developed to better align healthcare coalitions with Colorado’s All-Hazards Emergency Management Regions, in an effort to support regional initiatives and the development of a Regional Healthcare Disaster Response System (RHDRS). This restructuring initiative reduced the number of healthcare coalitions in Colorado from 30+ to 9.
As a result of this restructuring, the existing coalitions within the North Central Region boundaries were consolidated into the new North Central Region Healthcare Coalition (NCR HCC). The boundaries of this regional coalition were drawn to follow the North Central All-Hazards Emergency Management Region (NCR), which includes the following Colorado counties: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Gilpin, and Jefferson.
The NCR HCC brings together diverse healthcare organizations within the ten-county geographic region to foster communication and coordination. This collaborative approach facilitates a more effective and efficient response within the healthcare system, while preserving pre-existing collaborative efforts and maintaining the official command and control structure authorized by state and local emergency management.
The NCR HCC partners with Trailhead Institute, a local non-profit organization that focuses on advancing innovation and collaboration in public and environmental health, to provide fiscal management and oversight.
Additional information on the development, structure, activities, governance, and sustainment of the NCR HCC can be found in the North Central Region HCC Member Guide