About Emergency Preparedness
It’s time to change the way California thinks about disaster response. The COVID-19 pandemic showed that hospitals can quickly mobilize to provide flexible approaches to patient care during a disaster. The state must draw upon these lessons to prepare differently so the next crisis will be less severe. Given California’s size and complexity, the health care disaster response system of the future must be nimble enough to respond to any catastrophe. View more information on hospital disaster preparedness.
5 Things To Know: Whooping Cough Cases on the Rise in San Diego
California Health Alert Network San Diego issued a health advisory that pertussis (whooping cough) cases are higher this year than last year, at 547 as of Nov. 14. Newborns and infants too young to be vaccinated are at greatest risk of hospitalization and death from pertussis. For this reason, pregnant individuals should receive the pertussis vaccine […]
5 Things To Know: County of San Diego Seeks to Amplify Wildfire Preparedness App Usage
San Diego County is asking for assistance in sharing with the community wildfire preparedness information on its emergency information hub, ALERT San Diego, which provides live updates about ongoing emergencies. The following message can be used on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and NextDoor along with images from its website: “PREPARE for wildfires now. DOWNLOAD the Genasys Protect […]
5 Things To Know: South Region Assessment for Chemical Exposure (ACE) Is Underway
In response to the Tijuana River Valley pollution crisis, San Diego County is conducting a voluntary, confidential survey in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you or your child live, work, or have spent time in or around the polluted Tijuana River Valley or area beaches, share your experiences and feedback […]
5 Things To Know: South Region Assessment for Chemical Exposure (ACE) Is Underway
In response to the Tijuana River Valley pollution crisis, San Diego County is conducting a voluntary, confidential survey in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you or your child live, work, or have spent time in or around the polluted Tijuana River Valley or area beaches, share your experiences and feedback […]
5 Things To Know: FDA Guidance Covers Compounding Related to IV Solutions Supply Disruption
Following the effects of recent hurricanes, including the closure of a Baxter IV fluid manufacturing plant in North Carolina, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Oct. 11 released guidance that covers temporary policies for compounding certain parenteral drug products (such as IV fluids). This guidance, effective immediately, describes the FDA’s regulatory and enforcement priorities […]
5 Things To Know: CDC Warns of First Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak in Rwanda
On Oct. 3, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health alert to inform clinicians and health departments that an outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD), a rare but highly fatal viral hemorrhagic fever, has occurred in the Republic of Rwanda. As of Oct. 15, 62 illnesses and 15 deaths from MVD […]
5 Things To Know: Donations Needed as US Faces Emergency Blood Shortage
All hospitals with emergency departments must submit their ambulance patient offload time (APOT) reduction protocol to the Emergency Medical Services Authority by Sept. 1 under Assembly Bill (AB) 40 (2023). The law requires hospitals to include mechanisms in the protocol that will improve hospital operations and reduce APOT.