Our staff strives to ensure that Florida’s public health and health care system along with our supporting partners are properly trained, practice their response roles, perform response duties, and are prepared to respond to any and all hazards.
Special Needs Registry
Special needs shelters are for those with disabilities or who require medical care that exceeds basic first aid. Preregistration is important so emergency responders can ensure space is reserved for those with the greatest need.
Creating an Emergency Plan
Prepare Yourself and Your Family for Any Disaster
Diseases and Other Threats
Our best defense against disasters is to have a well-informed and prepared public. The information and links below provide important information on what to do before, during, and after public health emergencies.
General Emergency Preparedness
Disasters can strike at any time. There are steps you and your family can take to help minimize risks to known hazards. The Emergency Preparedness Guide will help you make a plan and get the right supplies.
For the latest information on preparing for disasters, visit FloridaDisaster.org and Ready.gov.
Natural Disasters
Healthcare System Preparedness
Healthcare system preparedness ensures that there is capacity and capability for provision of critical public health and medical services in order to reduce the potential for adverse health outcomes during an event.
Health Preparedness Partners
This section provides links to organizations and agencies who provide preparedness and response information.
State
Federal
- Agency for Health Care Research & Quality (AHRQ) —on the homepage, do a keyword search for “disaster” to find preparedness resources
- American Health Care Association
- American Hospital Association (AHA) —a keyword search for “preparedness” will bring up several useful articles and tools
- American Hospital Association —Emergency Readiness
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Emergency Preparedness and Response
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Center for Domestic Preparedness
- Health and Human Services (HHS) Hospital Preparedness Program
- National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) —Public Health Preparedness Publications
Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) Submissions
Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) is a detailed, well thought-out document that provides direction and information on what activities an agency will focus on during a storm. It includes preparation activities as well as response activities to help mitigate losses from a disaster or emergency situation.
The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (ACHA) requires medical facilities to have a CEMP updated and reviewed annually.
The Florida Health Department is responsible for reviewing CEMPs from the following agencies:
- Home Health Aid
- Home Medical Equipment Providers
- Hospices
- Nurse Registries
ACHA’s Emergency Services page provides additional information regarding this requirement as well as templates to aid in the creation of your local CEMP. Once the CEMP has been created, you may send it electronically to our Preparedness Office. We are no longer accepting paper submissions. If the file is too large, please send it to our offices via a data file CD.
Please refer all of your CEMP submissions to the Franklin County Preparedness Planner at 850-653-2111, Ext. 6022.