News & Events

Midwest Partners in Preparedness Conference - September 29-30, 2010

This conference will take place September 29-30, 2010 in St. Louis, MO, and focus on new FEMA sheltering guidelines, regional issues such as ice storms, flooding and tornados, as well as the effectiveness of special needs registries, information sharing networks and accessible communications.  For more information, read the conference agenda.

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U.S. Department of Education Awards $28.8 Million to School Districts to Improve Readiness & Emergency Response Plans

School districts across the country will be able to improve and strengthen their emergency management plans as a result of $28.8 million in grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Education. The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) grants school districts improve plans that address all phases of emergency management.   Projects should include plans that prepare districts for infectious disease outbreaks and take into consideration districts’ special needs populations.

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U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Provides $390.5 Million to Improve Hospital Preparedness & Emergency Response

HHS has announced grants totaling $390.5 million to be awarded to states, territories and large metropolitan areas of New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles County and Washington, D.C., to help hospitals and other health care organizations prepare for an emergency. The funds will be provided through the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP), which will help hospitals and health care facilities to respond to any emergency, such as natural disasters, disease outbreaks or acts of terrorism. Find out more information on the HPP grants.

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Testimony by the Chairman of the National Council on Disability (NCD) on Emergency Preparedness for People with Special Needs

Jonathan M. Young, NCD Chairman, testified on June 15, 2010 before the U.S. House of Representatives' Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response. His testimony, Caring for Special Needs During Disasters: What's Being Done for Vulnerable Populations?, highlighted three main ways to improve our nation's preparedness and response for people with disabilities during an emergency. Among the Chairman's key points is that people with disabilities must be involved in emergency planning. For more information read Marcie Roth's testimony as well as NCD's report Effective Emergency Management: Making Improvements for Communities and People with Disabilities.

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New Guides Offer Hospitals Advice on Emergency Evacuation, Assessment & Recovery

Two new guides from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) can help hospital planners and administrators make important decisions about how to protect patients and health care workers during emergencies. The Hospital Evacuation Decision Guide and the Hospital Assessment and Recovery Guide help hospitals assess the physical components of a hospital when a natural or manmade disaster, terrorist attack, or other catastrophic event threatens the soundness of a facility. These guides also look at how hospital personnel have coped under emergency situations in the past to better understand what factors should be considered when making evacuation, shelter-in-place and reoccupation decisions.

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Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Reminds Video Programming Distributors of Obligation to Make Emergency Information Accessible

As we enter hurricane season, the FCC is reminding video programming distributors, including broadcasters, cable operators, satellite television services, and any other distributor of video programming for residential reception, of their obligation to make emergency information accessible to persons with hearing and vision disabilities. This is required by FCC rules 79.1 and 79.2.

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Effective Emergency Management: Making Improvements for Communities & People with Disabilities

The National Council on Disability (NCD) has released a report calling on federal, state and local authorities to make sweeping changes in emergency management practices for people with disabilities.
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