Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar yesterday declared public health emergencies in North and South Carolina as Hurricane Florence approaches, and waived or modified certain Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program requirements to give health care providers and suppliers greater flexibility to meet emergency health needs. Among other actions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has activated its emergency operations center, and HHS regional emergency coordinators are staffing operations centers in impacted states to stay abreast of potential public health and medical needs. HHS also has positioned about 230 medical personnel from the National Disaster Medical System in North Carolina and Maryland; activated the Public Health Commissioned Corps’ Rapid Deployment Force; and arranged to provide additional ambulances to evacuate hospitals and nursing homes if needed. According to the South Carolina Hospital Association, Gov. Henry McMaster has ordered a mandatory medical evacuation for some coastal hospitals in South Carolina. Florence is expected to hit the South Carolina coast or further north on Friday, producing flooding and life-threatening storm surge. For additional hurricane preparedness resources, visit https://www.phe.gov/emergency/events/2018-Severe-Storms
 

Related News Articles

Headline
AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack explains how hospitals have made meaningful progress in patient safety and delivering high-quality care, in a column…
Headline
The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response June 25 announced it conducted an exercise transporting simulated patients with high-consequence…
Headline
Ochsner Health's Stephen Saenz, sepsis program manager, and Teresa Arrington, director of robust process improvement for quality and patient safety, reveal how…
Headline
The AHA May 12 responded to the Office of Management and Budget's April 11 request for information on regulatory relief, making 100 suggestions to the Trump…
Headline
The U.S. has had 935 confirmed cases of measles so far this year, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases have…
Headline
There have been 8,064 reported cases of whooping cough in the U.S. so far this year, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and…