HAP Blog

We have a saying in emergency management that it is important to be “forward leaning,” but with the troubling news circulating around us, where do we even start?

I was among the contingent from HAP at this year’s American Hospital Association Annual Meeting, which provided a forum for us all to come together to discuss the challenges we face in health care. We know we have a lot of hard work ahead.

We all know that a resilient health care supply chain means the difference between maintaining operations and suspending patient care, but we didn’t truly feel this urgency until COVID-19. The pandemic helped us understand that we can’t take our inventory for granted and that supplies are not always just a call away.

The nation’s mental health crisis poses significant concerns for Pennsylvania’s youth.

We’re thankful the COVID-19 burden on our hospitals and health systems has eased from the winter Omicron surge, but we know we’re just one crisis away from putting our emergency plans into action, whether it’s for an infectious disease, a wildfire, or an emerging cyber threat.

I think many of us in the emergency management field had more “never saw that before” moments than we thought we’d experience during our entire careers, let alone during one year. It’s a humbling reminder of the importance of the work we do.