Collective Response to Public Health Emergencies and Large-Scale Disasters Putting Hospitals at the Core of Community Resilience

The authors discuss the use of an Emergency Support Function framework to manage surge capacity and eliminate the need for external staff to meet patient care needs during a disaster. They reference the Joint Commission's hospital emergency preparedness standards that require hospitals to participate in community-wide response for resource coordination and allocation, and emphasize how important it is for hospitals to remain open to support community resilience.