Membership
In general, all healthcare organizations in Rhode Island are considered stakeholders of HCRI. Because RIDOH co-chairs HCRI and has responsibilities, both statutory and issued by grant guidance, to a broad host of healthcare organizations, any healthcare organization in Rhode Island may be eligible, pending approval from the Coalition’s leadership, to participate in the Coalition. Each organization should consult regulations, licensing standards, funding agreements, professional groups, and other relevant sources to understand its respective disaster preparedness and response obligations.
Once approved by the Coalition’s leadership, new members are provided a brief document that outlines roles and responsibilities of Coalition members (see Attachment C). New members are asked to sign this document, which is then kept on file by the Coalition’s leadership. Membership information is maintained by the Coalition leadership. Members agree to share their respective organizations’ 24/7 emergency contact information with the Coalition and its members for disaster preparedness and response purposes.
Core & Non-Core MEMBERS
In accordance with federal HPP guidance, certain healthcare providers and emergency services, specifically hospitals, emergency medical services (EMS), emergency management agencies, and public health, play especially active roles in the Coalition, and thus make up the Core Membership. Additional, non-Core Members include health centers, nursing homes, assisted living communities, blood centers, first response agencies (police and fire), tribal nations, federal partners, military, home health agencies, etc., which play important roles in supporting the healthcare system during emergencies.
Organizational Structure
Co-CHAIRS
HCRI is co-chaired by the Rhode Island Department of Health’s Center for Emergency Preparedness and Response’s Healthcare Emergency Management Director and the Hospital Association of Rhode Island’s Healthcare Emergency Management Director.
Groups & Subcommittees
HCRI utilizes subcommittees/groups that operate under the umbrella of the Coalition. With the roll out of the CMS Emergency Preparedness Rule, HCRI has chosen to work towards the incorporation of all 17 CMS provider types. All members of HCRI are placed in one of six groups (seen in the graphic below) as this technique allows for discipline-specific conversations that can be tailored to their needs.
Group 1: HCRI Core Members/Hospitals (chaired by HCRI Co-chairs)
Group 2: Long-Term Care/Residential Facilities (chaired by Long-Term Care Mutual Aid Plan (LTC-MAP) Steering Committee)
Group 3: Home Health/Hospice (chaired by HopeHealth and Hospice)
Group 4: Outpatient Services (chaired by Rhode Island Health Center Association)
Group 5: End Stage Renal Disease (chaired by Davita Kidney Care)
Group 6: HCRI Support Services (chaired by HCRI Co-chairs)
Each group will report up to HCRI on a quarterly basis for situational awareness, deconfliction of resources, cross-pollination of ideas and activities, and to reduce duplication and siloing across the entire coalition.
Workgroups
At times projects and discussions need to be assigned to an ad-hoc workgroup. The mission of the workgroup is to promote inclusion, unity, and productive dialogue in the Rhode Island Healthcare community. Members of the workgroup consist of interested volunteer HCRI members who work closely with HCRI Leadership to research the specific relevant topic, discuss the gaps, resource needs, challenges, budget, potential implementation plans, and regulations in depth in order to formulate a recommendation for action to the Coalition.
Examples of work completed by past workgroups have included:
- Statewide emergency code poster development
- Hospital decontamination team equipment purchases
- Burn-trauma supply revisions