What is the SMCHC?

The San Mateo County Healthcare Coalition (SMCHC) originated as the San Mateo County Hospital Emergency Preparedness Task Force in 1999 which consisted solely of San Mateo County hospitals. The Taskforce then evolved to the San Mateo County Healthcare Working Group which maintained hospital membership and other emergency response partners (Office of Emergency Services, America Red Cross, etc.).

In 2017, as a result of the new rule implemented by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS Rule) the Healthcare Working Group was redesigned to encompass a larger portion of the healthcare community within San Mateo County. The CMS Rule delineates 17 healthcare provider types and requires them to “…establish national emergency preparedness requirements to ensure adequate planning for both natural and man-made disasters, and coordination with federal, state, tribal, regional and local emergency preparedness systems.” In order to ensure that we are achieving this goal, the Healthcare Working Group was molded into the San Mateo County Healthcare Coalition (SMCHC) which was open to all of the 17 healthcare provider types and any other partners/stakeholder that the group deemed appropriate.

Our Mission & Goal 

The mission and goal of the San Mateo County Healthcare Coalition is to plan for a collaborative, coordinated, community-wide disaster response from the health care community in order to ensure the continuity of optimal healthcare in San Mateo County during a disaster.

What We Do 

Annual Trainings Offered

The SMCHC hosts a series of trainings on an annual basis for all members to attend. In addition to the series of annual trainings, ad hoc trainings will be scheduled to assist in preparing for exercises and addressing any relevant community and facility concerns. The list of trainings offered on an annual basis to all members is as follows:

1. Hospital Incident Command System Training

2. Nursing Home Incident Command System Training

3. Medical Health Operational Area Coordinator Training

4. Medical Countermeasures Training

5. Emergency Operations Manual Training

6. Mass Casualty Incident Training

7. HazMat for Healthcare Training

Exercises

The SMCHC hosts a minimum of 2 exercises per year (Spring & Fall) for all the members to participate in. The Spring exercise is typically a Coalition Surge Test which is a Hospital Surge focused exercise. The Fall exercise is the Statewide Medical and Health Exercise which is typically focused on testing either an entire county plan or component of a county plan.

1. 2018 Spring Exercise: Green Dawn

   • AAR

2. 2018 Statewide Medical & Health Exercise: CHEMPACK Exercise

   • AAR

3. 2019 Spring Exercise: Coalition Surge Test

   • AAR

4. 2019 Statewide Medical & Health Exercise

   • AAR → In Development

5. 2020 Spring Exercise: Coalition Surge Test

   • Scheduled for March 25, 2020

Meetings

The SMCHC meeting on a monthly basis, the first Friday of every month (except when it falls on or around a holiday).

Healthcare Facilities

For additional information on monthly meetings please fill out the form in the Get Involved section of the site and someone from our team will reach out to you.

Other Organizations, Agencies, Groups, etc.

For additional information on monthly meetings please email Karishma Kumar directly at kkumar@smcgov.org

Care Site Outreach Support Team (CSOST)

The San Mateo County Emergency Operations Center, in coordination with the Healthcare Coalition, has created the Care Site Outreach Support Team. The purpose of this team is to provide support and guidance to facilities that provide care to our Counties’ vulnerable populations as we all navigate the COVID-19 response.

The CSOST mission is to identify the needs of the most vulnerable population in the County, the Care Site Outreach Support Team will conduct needs assessments through phone contact, field evaluations, training and treatment services as needed. The Care Site Outreach Support team is comprised of fire, EMS, and/ or county contracted nurses and physicians.

The CSOST is performing proactive outreach to over 400 health and care facilities in the County. The proactive approach taken by the CSOST is in alignment with the County, Region, State, and Federal goals to flatten the curve and prepare our front-line workers to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. Understanding how to properly prevent transmission at work, when leaving work, and at home reduces risk to the populations that have comorbidities, underlying conditions, and are susceptible to a severe illness. It is the goal of the CSOST to ensure that staff are comfortable with the amount and type of training provided on caring for patients with COVID-19.

About San Mateo County Healthcare Coalition

The San Mateo County Healthcare Coalition (SMCHC) plans for a collaborative, coordinated, community-wide disaster response from the health care community to ensure the continuity of optimal healthcare in San Mateo County during a disaster or pandemic.

The CSOST is working with the San Mateo County Healthcare Coalition to enroll healthcare facilities in membership. The current member facilities include federally identified Core Coalition members: San Mateo County EMS Agency; San Mateo County Public Health; San Mateo County Office of Emergency Services; and general acute care hospitals. Additionally, Coalition membership includes representatives from organizations representing the 17 provider types as indicated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Lastly, membership includes partner agencies that collaborate with the Coalition on disaster preparedness, planning, response, recovery, and mitigation.

Maintaining membership with the SMCHC ensures that you have direct access to the San Mateo County Medical Health Operational Area Coordinator (MHOAC), access to the ReddiNet platform allowing you to stay connected with other Healthcare Facilities/County Health during Disasters, access to participate in county-wide drills/exercises every year, emergency preparedness training, and build upon relationships and connections with county agency partners and private sector stakeholders.

About Medical Health Operational Area Coor. Program (MHOAC)

The Medical Health Operational Area Coordinator (MHOAC) Program is authorized by the California Health and Safety Code Section 1797.153. The MHOAC position represents the single point of contact for the MHOAC program and is responsible for monitoring and ensuring adequate medical and health resources are in place during a local emergency. The MHOAC is authorized to work with the Regional Disaster Medical Health (RDMHC) Program to submit and respond to medical and health requests for resources for the facilities within San Mateo County. The MHOAC is authorized to make and respond to requests for mutual aid from outside of San Mateo County as well.

One of the key responsibilities of the MHOAC Program is to support healthcare facilities by providing PPE and other medical and health resources to the healthcare facilities in need. San Mateo County Health uses ReddiNet (a web-based platform) for maintaining situational awareness on healthcare facility status and tracking Resource Requests from facilities. The CSOST will proactively connect facilities with this service to ensure set up is complete prior to any urgent need for PPE. If there is an emergency request for PPE or emergency staffing needs at the time of contact with the CSOST, the team will work to fulfill that request.

CSOST Ongoing Efforts

Objectives:

• Provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Conduct training on appropriate donning and doffing of PPE
• Provide information on COVID-19 and lessons learned regarding COVID-19 containment measures
• Provide information on the process for resource ordering and disease control investigations
• Assess supply chain and operational needs

Facility Types Receiving Outreach

• Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)
• Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE)
• Assisted Living
• Board and Care
• Home Health
• Long-Term Care (LTC) Facility
• Intermediate Care Facility (ICF)

Info for Dental Facilities

San Mateo County Dental Facilities can request PPE from the county if they are in urgent need and are unable to procure their needs through normal vendors/channels. ReddiNet is a resource management platform that dental facilities within San Mateo County can use to request resources from San Mateo County when they are unable to procure themselves.  All resource requests submitted to the county should be made via ReddiNet, where the dental facilities will be able to track the progress of their requests. This will be the main source of communication regarding the processing and handling of resource requests. If possible, we recommend having ReddiNet displayed 24/7 on a monitor within your facility.

The Dental Facility Resource Request Guide v 0514 will explain how to submit resource requests. Please pay extra attention to slides 8 and 9. If your request does not contain the required information, they will be returned causing a possible delay in obtaining your resources. Also, please be sure to submit an individual request for each item you need. When submitting a request, you will need to message the EMS Agency an attachment for verification that your facility was unable to obtain PPE (i.e. copy/PDF of a canceled purchase order).

**It’s important to note EMS is receiving a high volume of resource requests and are prioritizing PPE for healthcare facilities, especially those caring for COVID-19+ patients.

The dental offices should follow the steps below to request access to ReddiNet from the county, in order to submit Resource Request (only when EMERGENT):

1. Fill out the Clinic Contact Form for their dental office.
2. Send an email (attaching the form filled out in step one to the email) to ems@smcgov.org asking to be built into ReddiNet. 
3. Await an email confirmation from ReddiNet with username/password allowing access to ReddiNet
4. When EMERGENT (3 days out from having no PPE) submit a Resource Request using the guidance provided in the ReddiNet Facility_Provider Resource Request Guide v410 (002).

• ReddiNet Facility_Provider Resource Request Guide v410 (002)
• Dental Facility Resource Request Guide v 0514
• Clinic Contact Form

Info for Care Providers

San Mateo County Primary Care Providers (PCP’s)/Clinics/Urgent Care Facilities can request PPE from the county if they are in urgent need and are unable to procure their needs through normal vendors/channels. ReddiNet is a resource management platform that facilities within San Mateo County can use to request resources from San Mateo County when they are unable to procure themselves.  All resource requests submitted to the county should be made via ReddiNet, where the facilities will be able to track the progress of their requests. This will be the main source of communication regarding the processing and handling of resource requests. If possible, we recommend having ReddiNet displayed 24/7 on a monitor within your facility.

The Clinic Resource Request Guide will explain how to submit resource requests. Please pay extra attention to slides 8 and 9. If your request does not contain the required information, they will be returned causing a possible delay in obtaining your resources. Also, please be sure to submit an individual request for each item you need. When submitting a request, you will need to message the EMS Agency an attachment for verification that your facility was unable to obtain PPE (i.e. copy/PDF of a canceled purchase order).

**It’s important to note EMS is receiving a high volume of resource requests and are prioritizing PPE for healthcare facilities, especially those caring for COVID-19+ patients.

The facilities should follow the steps below to request access to ReddiNet from the county, in order to submit Resource Request (only when EMERGENT):

1. Fill out the Clinic Contact Form​ for their facility.
2. Send an email (attaching the form filled out in step one to the email) to ems@smcgov.org asking to be built into ReddiNet. 
3. Await an email confirmation from ReddiNet with username/password allowing access to ReddiNet
4. When EMERGENT (3 days out from having no PPE) submit a Resource Request using the guidance provided in the Clinic Resource Request Guide.

• If you encounter issues with submitting the Resource Request, please contact ReddiNet Support at 1-800-440-7808

If you have other questions regarding COVID-19 Response please contact 2-1-1 for assistance.

*All of the information mentioned above & attached is available on our website at https://www.smchealth.org/smc-healthcare-coalition

Resources (5/4/20) 

COVID-19 Resources

• COVID-19 Care Safety Handbook (discontinued) 
• PPE Donning and Doffing: CDC Sequence for COVID 19
• Strategies to Optimize the Supply of PPE and Equipment
• Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2

REDDINET

• ReddiNet Facility_Provider Resource Request Guide v410 (002)
• Dental Facility Resource Request Guide v 0514
• Clinic Resource Request Guide
• Clinic Contact Form

Medical health operational area coor.

• Information on the MHOAC Program 

CMS Rule

• CMS Quality, Safety & Oversight Group – Emergency Preparedness​Rule 

Planning for Power Outages:

• Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS)
• California Public Utilities Commission Resources:
  • De-Energizations Information Page
  • PSPS FAQ’s
  • Preparing for Power Down

Training & Exercising Tools:

• Statewide Medical and Health Exercise

Documents (5/4/20) 

COVID-19

COVID-19 Care Safety Handbook (discontinued)

COVID-19 Donning & Doffing PPE Guide

ReddiNet Facility_Provider Resource Request Guide v410 (002)

Dental Facility Resource Request Guide v 0514

Clinic Resource Request Guide

Clinic Contact Form

Annual Workshop

California Public Health and Medical Emergency Operations Manual (EOM)

Mass Casualty Incident Response (MCI) Plan2

SMC Healthcare Annual Workshop Presentation

Exercises

SMCHC Surge Test After Action Report 1.

Training

Cyber Security for Healthcare Facilities 1

Hospital Incident Command System (HICS)

Nursing Home Incident Command System (NHICS)