Technical Assistance to Indian Health Clinics and Health Centers

1. Technical Assistance to Indian Health Clinics and Health Centers • What We Learned • Barbara Aragon, MSW & Calvin Freeman, Consultants, • Indian Health Programs

2. Presentation Objectives • Participants will learn about: • Challenges faced and effective practices employed by California Indian Health Clinics in preparing for emergencies. • Strategies for addressing challenges to emergency preparedness. 2

3. Conclusions • Emergency preparedness requires: • Building and sustaining organizational support. (Changing the stories we have been operating under.} • Adopting a clinic-centric viewpoint. • Setting priorities for preparedness and response. (especially when I have so many slashes after my name). • Patience. 3

4. What We Did • Emergency management technical assistance contacts with 30 clinics. • Technical assistance to federal, state and tribal and community partners. (ITCC, IHS, CRIHB, Head Starts, Tribal Leaders Meetings, Tribal TANF). • Over 150 videos (Preparing for Coming Seasons) Clinics, Tribes • 24 in-person; • 11 multiple contacts 4

5. What We Do - Services • Assessment • Engage clinic/tribal leadership, communities networks and families • Basic emergency plans and procedures • Emergency Operations, COOP and Pandemic Influenza Planning • Review, write, train and coach 5

6. Indian Health Clinic Successes • Organizational commitment • Emergency preparedness champions • Tribal/Community leadership • Robust emergency preparedness programs • Partnerships with local health departments and emergency agencies • Tribal investment • Tribal education 6

7. Importance of a Clinic-Centric Perspective I • Clinics are: • A significant and sometimes critical health resource • Yet, clinics are not: • Hospitals • Health Departments • 24-hour operations • Significantly expandable 7

8. Importance of a Clinic-Centric Perspective II • Clinic preparedness and response are sensitive to: • Medical capability • Staff resource availability • Supply and equipment levels • Economics of clinic operations 8

9. Addressing Indian Health Clinic Emergency Preparedness Challenges I • Getting started • Sustaining progress • Importance of a champion • Need for clinic/community/tribal leadership buy-in and support 9

10. Champion • Getting started • Engaging Leadership (clinic, tribal and community) • Sustaining progress (especially when resources change, ebb and flow.) • Setting preparedness priorities • Defining clinic emergency role • Connecting with local health departments • Resource limitations • Technical capacity 10

11. Addressing Indian Health Clinic Emergency Preparedness Challenges II • Setting priorities • Response priorities – safety, response to immediate needs, return to full operations • Preparedness priorities – safety, enhancements to day-to-day operations and strategic priorities 11

12. Addressing Indian Health Clinic Emergency Preparedness Challenges III • Connecting with local health departments • During preparedness • For resource and technical assistance • During response • Addressing conflicts over roles and resources 12

13. Addressing Indian Health Clinic Emergency Preparedness Challenges IV • Resources – Supplies, equipment, funding, and time • Some availability from local health departments • Time: the critical resource (patient care, executive time and attention, staff time) 13

14. Addressing Indian Health Clinic Emergency Preparedness Challenges V • Technical Capacity • Training • On-line information • IHP consultants 14

15. Conclusions • Emergency preparedness requires: • Building and sustaining organizational support. Asset Mapping with Partners). • Adopting a clinic-centric viewpoint. • Setting priorities for preparedness and response. • Patience. 15