Section 1797.103, Division 2.5 of the Health
& Safety Code) describes disaster response as one of the components of an
EMS system. Several pieces of current
statute also describe the responsibilities of the Health Officer in response to
disaster. However, these Adisaster preparedness
and response@ activities are
currently undefined.
Additionally, the State EMS Authority and
Department of Health Services have successfully worked to structure and develop
a statewide medical/health mutual-aid system over the past decade. This is supported by Division 2.5, Section
1797.152 of the Health & Safety Code, which describes the role of the
Regional Disaster Medical/Health Coordinator.
This is currently the only section of law which describes the
integration and oversight of the medical and health response system.
The Disaster Medical Standards Advisory Group
and Steering Committee both recommended the introduction of legislation to provide
a foundation for the development of effective standardized local disaster
medical and health systems. The
legislation should establish in statute:
_ The 18 medical and
health functions defined by the Steering Committee.
_ The respective roles
and responsibilities of LEMSAs and Public Health Departments.
_ The role of the
Health Officer or designee as the Medical/Health Operational Area Coordinator
(OAC).
_ Timelines for the
development of Medical and Health regulations and standards.
_ Development of an
oversight body to ensure ongoing coordination between the medical and health
standards.
In its deliberations
regarding standards for LEMSAs, the Advisory Group recognized the need for
definition of the management structure through which LEMSAs must coordinate the
development of their disaster medical plans, policies, and practices. To this end, the Advisory Group recommended
that the County Health Officer or designee should be formally designated
through legislation as the position responsible for the overall management of
the Operational Area=s disaster/medical health system. As such, the Health Officer or designee will
direct the mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery activities related
to the eighteen medical/health functions listed above. The Health Officer may work through or
coordinate with LEMSAs and other local and regional governmental,
quasi-governmental, non-profit organizations and other entities to develop and
manage the disaster medical/health system.
Designation of the Medical/Health Operational Area
Coordinator (OAC)
The Health Officer may assume or delegate the
duties of the position of Medical/Health OAC, previously known as the
Operational Area Disaster Medical/Health Coordinator.[1]
The Medical/Health OAC acts as the conduit for requesting and providing resources
to and from other jurisdictions through the Regional Disaster Medical/Health
Coordinator. Both the Steering
Committee and the Advisory Group agreed that while the most logical point for
overall management of disaster medical and health services is the County Health
Officer, it is reasonable to delegate the duties of the Medical/Health OAC to
other staff (preferably someone with knowledge of basic medical and health
practices and resources).
Steering Committee
MEMBER AGENCY
Dave Abbott State
DHS
Yolanda Baldovinos Alameda Co HCSA
Doug Buchanan Mountain
Valley EMS Agency
John Celentano, MD Los Angeles Co EMS Agency
Paul Garrett Yolo
Co. Health Department
Jeff Gidley California
EMS Authority
Herbert Giese, MD Nevada Co. Health Officer
Darlene Isbell Los Angeles Co. EMS Agency
Art Lathrop Contra
Costa EMS Agency
Linda Pryor State
OES
Jeff Rubin California
EMS Authority
Glennah Trochet, MD Sacramento Co. DHHS
Steve Andriese Mountain Valley EMS Agency
Diane Evans Santa
Cruz Co. Dept. of Env Health
Wendi Dodgin State
OES
Dave Herfindahl, MD Siskiyou Co Health Department
B.A. Jinadu, MD Kern Co. Dept of Public Health
Michael Osur Riverside
Co. EMS Agency
Constance Perett Los Angeles Co OES
John Pritting Imperial
Co EMS Agency
Advisory Group
MEMBER AGENCY REPRESENTING
Kim Zagaris Governor's
OES, Fire & Rescue State OES
Bob Petrucci, Disaster Spec. Santa Clara EMS Agency EMSAAC Multi-county LEMSAs
Dorel Harms California
Healthcare Assoc. Hospital Industry
David Herfindahl, MD Siskiyou
County Health Dept. CCLHO
Steve Tharratt, MD Sacramento County EMS EMDAC
David G. Jones Fresno,
Kings, Madera EMS EMSAAC, Rural LEMSAs
Steven C. Wood San
Diego County EMS EMSAAC, Urban
LEMSAs
Barbara Center Region
II RDMHS RDMHCs
Nancy LaPolla Santa
Barbara County EMS EMSAAC, Suburban
LEMSAs
Carl Schultz, MD CAL/ACEP Emergency
Physicians
Sherlene Stepp Emergency
Nurses Assoc. Emergency Nurses
David Nevins California
Ambulance Assoc. Ambulance Industry
(Invited) FIRESCOPE Fire Service
Dave Abbott State
DHS Public and Environmental Health
Project Staff
MEMBER AGENCY POSITION
Cheryl Starling State EMS Authority Project Advisor
Doug Buchanan Mountain-Valley
EMS Agency Project Coordinator
Calvin Freeman Calvin Freeman & Associates Project Consultant
[1] Several members of the Advisory Group
expressed concern about changing the name of this position given the widespread
familiarity with the term in disaster medical and health systems and the need
to retrain personnel. The consensus of
the Advisory Group was that making the position title parallel the titles used
by Fire and Law creates valuable standardization.