Valued Voice

Note: As part of its role in facilitating the exchange of information between health care partners, WHA is running a series of articles highlighting emergency planning resources available for hospitals and health care partners.

WHA is reminding its hospitals and partners the importance of emergency planning in preparing for Milwaukee hosting the 2024 Republican National Convention July 15-18, 2024. The event will bring tens of thousands of delegates, guests, and members of the press from around the country to Milwaukee. The added population brings additional medical events, including the potential for mass casualty events that highlights the need for proper planning to support a potential surge in the need for medical care.

WHA participates in the Wisconsin Health Emergency Readiness Coalition Advisory Group as a voting member, playing a key role in health care emergency readiness planning. At the beginning of April, WHA distributed a hospital preparedness checklist to its member hospital emergency preparedness directors. The checklist was prepared by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Division of Public Health, Office of Preparedness and Emergency Health Care (OPEHC), and contains a helpful list of incident information sharing, public information, resource and asset management planning, and general emergency planning information for hospitals and emergency response partners to consider in advance of and during the event.

OPEHC has also produced a reporting procedures document which details information hospitals will be voluntarily sharing with emergency planning partners through the state's EMResource system. Hospitals have been using this infrastructure for years to share pertinent information about capabilities and service capacity in real-time when the need arises, such as during a mass casualty incident. In addition to this, daily RNC situation report calls will take place at 10 a.m. with participating hospitals from HERC members serving the Milwaukee area as well as surrounding HERC regions. Surrounding Illinois hospitals and emergency planning partners will also be participating.

Contact WHA's VP Federal and State Relations Jon Hoelter or SVP Workforce and Clinical Practice Ann Zenk with questions.