January Updates

Basic Disaster Life Support (BDLS) Classes
February 12, 2023​
A BDLS course will be offered virtually on Microsoft Teams and is open to a statewide audience. It is designed to engage participants through interactive scenarios and group discussion. The goal is to teach a common lexicon, vocabulary and knowledge base.

Pre-course work is required and can be found at https://register3.ndlsf.org/.
Pre-approved MDHHS EMS CE credits, AMA Category 1 Physician, nursing and pharmacy CME credits are available. This course is grant funded through the MDHHS, Bureau of Emergency Preparedness, EMS and Systems of Care.

For questions contact Judy Wheeler ([email protected]).


HHS Home Test to Treat Program Expands Nationwide
The federal government has expanded the Home Test to Treat program, a virtual community health program that offers free COVID-19 health services. Services available to eligible participants nationwide include at-home rapid tests, telehealth sessions, and at-home treatments. With its expansion, the Home Test to Treat program will now offer free testing, telehealth sessions, and treatment for both COVID-19 and for influenza (flu) A and B. It is the first public health program that includes home testing technology at such a scale for both COVID-19 and flu. Home Test to Treat, a collaboration among the National Institutes of Health (NIH), ASPR, and CDC, was launched as a pilot in select locations in 2023.


FEMA Releases New Exercise Starter Kits
January 31, 2024
Exercises help the whole community to prepare for disasters and emergencies by providing opportunities to shape planning, assess and validates capabilities, and address areas for improvement.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Exercise Division (NED) has developed ten new Exercise Starter Kits to support exercise practitioners and emergency managers at all levels of government, the private sector and nonprofit organizations as they plan, conduct, and evaluate their exercises.
The ten new kits cover the following topics:

• Climate resilience.
• Climate adaptation.
• Complex incident coordination.
• Large-scale population movement and resettlement.
• Mitigating social isolation and loneliness.
• Community preparedness and response to the opioid crisis.
• Enhancing supply chain resilience.
• Recovery.
• Community profile.
• Reunification.

The new kits align with FEMA’s 2023-2026 National Exercise Program Principals’ Exercise Priorities. Each kit contains a sample exercise facilitator and evaluator guide, sample conduct slides, a sample situation manual and a customizable placemat. All Exercise Starter Kits are available in the Emergency Management Toolkit section of FEMA’s Preparedness Toolkit.

FEMA will host a series of webinars to discuss the new kits. All webinars will offer the same content. Registration is not required to attend. Visit FEMA’s Adobe Connect Room for the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) during one of the times listed below to participate:

• Session 1: Thursday, Jan. 25, at 5 p.m. EST.
• Session 2: Wednesday, Jan. 31, at noon EST.
• Session 3: Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 9 a.m. EST.

If you are unable to attend one of the webinars listed above, a recorded version of the webinar will be available on the Preparedness Toolkit HSEEP Webinars page starting Feb. 1.
If you have any questions, please email [email protected].


Coalition Connect
February 15, 2024
The Coalition Connect meets are designed to allow healthcare coalitions from across Region V to discuss best practices, lessons learned and gives opportunities to work together and share ideas.

​Target Audience:
Healthcare Coalition Coordinators and State level Hospital Preparedness Program staff.
Teams login information coming soon.
Save the Date Flyer


Preparedness Lunch and Learn
February 20, 2024​
The Preparedness Lunch and Learn series continues February 20, 2024, with a discussion on emPOWER. Tools that can be used to understand vulnerable populations in communities and regions.
Throughout the Preparedness Lunch and Learn series topics will continue to build knowledge for emergency managers in hospitals and other healthcare facilities as well as healthcare coalitions, local health departments, and tribes.
This series is the third Tuesday every month from 12:00p.m. - 1:00 p.m. For registration, visit MI-TRAIN, course ID # 1112624 for the entire series.
Click on the image for the full flyer!  

Preparedness Lunch and Learn


Health Equity: A Native American Perspective​
Including Native American perspectives in discussions of health equity is essential to gaining a comprehensive understanding of health. As the cornerstone and fundamental concept in the healing sciences, health has been revered by cultures throughout human history as a precious asset, possessing intrinsic value for individuals and the communities to which they belong. Moreover, it serves as an instrumental resource for sustaining life. Health equity encompasses an evaluation of the fair or unfair health statuses among individuals, families, communities, or entire populations, including Native Americans. Historical injustices, such as forced relocation, loss of ancestral lands, and the impact of colonization, have had enduring effects on Native American health. These experiences contribute to contemporary health inequities within these communities. Moreover, the preservation of cultural practices and traditional healing methods plays a vital role in Native American health and well-being. Learn more on milbank.org.