Public Health Perspective
This section of the Toolkit describes the importance of Public Health's involvement in coordinating healthcare response and highlights essential reminders about key public health laws and policies.
If your health jurisdiction is not undertaking the entire coalition development process, this section provides important information about fundamental federal directives and best practice approaches.
PUBLIC HEALTH AS A LEADER IN COORDINATING HEALTH AND MEDICAL RESPONSE
"When the authority has been assigned, successful leaders rally to get the job done." Based on the National Response Framework Emergency Support Function 8(ESF-8), Public Health Departments have been assigned as the lead to coordinate public health and medical support during any event that threatens the public's health across the nation. Each community illustrates a different picture for planning, but the role of Public Health is clear as a leader in coordinating community partners for emergency healthcare response.
In many communities, Public Health has been on the sidelines as competing hospital systems and healthcare organizations have addressed healthcare delivery issues. As a neutral community partner, Public Health can serve as a facilitator for agencies that have traditionally been competitors or not worked together, but will benefit from collaboration in the future.
PUBLIC HEALTH'S ROLE
As a leader in coordination, Public Health's role in coordinating medical response is to:
- Facilitate and prioritize the acquisition of resources for healthcare organizations
- Manage and coordinate information
- Develop informed objectives to meet the health and medical needs of the community
- Provide a neutral opportunity for collaboration in a competitive market
- Act as the jurisdictional authority during a health response depending on the state laws and regulations
