Grant to Help Pennsylvania Hospitals Prepare for Emergencies
Hospitals in seven area counties will use a $2.5 million federal grant to eliminate gaps in the region's ability to handle emergencies such as a flu pandemic.
Hospitals in seven area counties will use a $2.5 million federal grant to eliminate gaps in the region's ability to handle emergencies such as a flu pandemic.
Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center will lead the effort, which will involve hospitals in Dauphin, Cumberland, Lebanon, York, Franklin, Adams and Lancaster counties.
The organizations will work together to address issues such as dealing with a surge of people who need hospitalization, recruiting volunteer health professionals to help deal with an emergency and developing a way for the organizations to communicate.
In a news release, Dr. Thomas Terndrup, chairman of emergency medicine at Hershey Medical Center, said health care providers tend to compete rather than collaborate. But the local organizations have a history of cooperation.
The planning effort will include drills to identify gaps in preparedness. It's expected to take a year and produce a model for other communities.
The collaboration, called the Health Care Facilities Partnership of South Central Pennsylvania, is among 10 organizations nationwide that received such grants, according to the news release.
In addition to Hershey Medical Center, other participants are: Gettysburg Hospital in Adams County; Carlisle Regional Medical Center and Holy Spirit Hospital in Cumberland County; PinnacleHealth System in Dauphin County; Chambersburg and Waynesboro hospitals in Franklin County; Good Samaritan Hospital and Lebanon VA Medical Center in Lebanon County; Ephrata Community Hospital, Lancaster Regional Medical Center, Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center and Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster County; and Hanover, Memorial and York hospitals in York County.
DAVID WENNER, Of The Patriot-News
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