AHA comments on FEMA proposal to use voluntary agreements for COVID-19 response

The AHA is encouraged by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s proposal to use its authority under the Defense Production Act to establish a voluntary agreement of key private sector stakeholders to coordinate COVID-19 response and information sharing, the association told the agency today.

AHA urged FEMA “to consult closely with the hospital and health system field, and with clinical experts in COVID-19 treatment to help define the initial focus of the voluntary agreement” and to develop a defined data strategy to support it. AHA also stressed the need for the voluntary agreement to “account for the full breadth of COVID-19 medical supply and equipment needs.”