Group Receives Federal Funds To Improve Disaster Response

A healthcare partnership in the Charleston area has received a $2.5 million federal grant to improve emergency communications among health facilities, preparations for major damage to infrastructure and readiness for a surge of patients, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control announced today.

"With the use of computer modeling programs, we've determined that damage to our roads
and bridges could create 18 isolated islands in our area," said John Simkovich, health director for DHEC Region 7 Public Health, which serves Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties. "Without proper planning and resource allocation, people in those areas would have little or no access to healthcare services. We hope this project will help us develop a strategy for placement of our available resources."

"The efforts of this group could produce new ways to respond to natural and man-made disasters," said Max Learner, director of DHEC's Office of Public Health Preparedness, which reviewed the group's application and provided a letter of support to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. "In virtually every exercise conducted across the state, communications, infrastructure and patient surge are a main concern for healthcare providers. DHEC will partner with these organizations to examine solutions that could provide a model for others areas of the state."

Learner said the ASPR grant was awarded to the Roper St. Francis Foundation, which will work with the partnership that includes:

· DHEC Region 7 Public Health
· Roper Hospital
· Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital
· Medical University of S.C. Hospital
· Trident Medical Center
· Summerville Medical Center
· East Cooper Regional Medical Center
· Charleston Dorchester Mental Health Center
· S.C. Area Health Education Consortium.

Learner said the grant is the result of a competitive process managed by ASPR, with a total of $18.1 million awarded to 11 recipients nationwide.