A new vendor will aid the state in its health care emergency preparedness efforts.
Beginning July 8, Public Health Management Corp. of Philadelphia will take over for the previous vendor, Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, whose contract was up for renewal.
Levine said there was nothing unsatisfactory about the HHAP’s performance. Rather, the new vendor will have state health officials “well-positioned to help move the Commonwealth forward in our efforts with future emergencies, but also with covid-19 and a potential covid resurges in the fall and winter.”
The agreement is part of the department’s annual federal health preparedness grant.
“We are looking forward to the opportunity to expand our existing hospital preparedness program, as well as creating an inclusive environment for all members of our health care system through our health care coalitions,” Levine said.
Health care coalitions are a formal collaboration among health care organizations and public and private partners that are organized to prepare for, respond to and recover from an emergency, mass casualty or catastrophic event. The key components include comprehensive health care membership; regional presence developed within states/territories to cover larger geographic areas; and preparedness capability through plans, exercises, trainings, response and after-action reports.
“The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) is incredibly proud of its best-in-class Emergency Management (EM) team; and profoundly shocked and dismayed that HAP no longer will hold the contract with the Pennsylvania Department of Health in support of health care preparedness and emergency planning, and facilitating collaboration through the Health Care Coalitions,” HAP President and CEO Andy Parker said in a statement.
“We believe with our statewide footprint, health care infrastructure, and breadth of skills, we are uniquely qualified to continue this vital work,” Carter said.
