The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced two courses to help hospital personnel implement the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which was developed so responders from different jurisdictions and disciplines can better collaborate to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies. The courses:
* IS-100. HC, "Introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS) for Healthcare/Hospitals," describes the history, features, principles and organizational structure of ICS and should be completed by hospital personnel who would have a direct role in emergency preparedness, incident management, and/or emergency preparedness.
* IS-200. HC, "Applying ICS to Healthcare Organizations," is designed to enable health care personnel to operate efficiently during an incident or event within the ICS and should be completed by personnel whose primary responsibility is emergency management.
Completion of these or equivalent courses is among the activities required for hospitals that wish to become NIMS compliant. For a more detailed description of NIMS implementation activities for hospitals, click here .
While all hospitals are encouraged to take steps toward becoming NIMS compliant, hospitals that receive federal preparedness funding through the HRSA National Hospital Bioterrorism Preparedness Program must implement certain of these compliance elements in FY 2006, including the completion of IS-100 and IS-200.
