Before a disaster strikes, health and emergency management professionals need the best information possible to make plans that can be used to protect health and save lives. When a disaster strikes, these same experts need quick access to the best information and someone to call when they need help working through a problem. ASPR launched TRACIE. Through TRACIE, health and emergency management professionals can access the best peer-reviewed resources and a cadre of experts they can call on for help.
ASPR TRACIE is a healthcare emergency preparedness information gateway that ensures that all stakeholders— federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and in the private sector—have access to information and resources to improve preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts. Each domain provides users with unique, tailored support.
Access to a wealth of resources and a cadre of experts
ASPR TRACIE just finished its first year of operation and has helped healthcare organizations across the country prepare for disasters and emergencies. In the past year, through the Assistance Center domain, ASPR TRACIE has provided more than 850 customized responses to requests for technical assistance (typically received via email). Many of these responses include information gathered, vetted, and disseminated in ASPR’s 40 (and growing) comprehensively reviewed Topic Collections. TRACIE also facilitates the near real-time, password-protected, peer-to-peer exchange of information for nearly 2,000 members on a variety of topics.
Information on ever-changing challenges
In the ever-changing world of emergency preparedness and response, we know how important it is to increase awareness of pending and actual threats. To meet this need, ASPR TRACIE develops timely products in concert with vetted subject matter experts (SMEs), such as:
We rely heavily on our partners to help us grow and succeed, so we promote partnerships by hosting webinars on a variety of topics. Our Cybersecurity and Healthcare Facilities Roundtable featured subject matter experts from a hospital center that had survived a cyberattack and experts from the federal government and the private sector discussing how important partnerships are to effective cyber hygiene practices. TRACIE webinars geared toward healthcare coalitions (for example Healthcare Involvement in Mass Gatherings and Strategic Development for Building Operational Healthcare Coalitions) emphasize the lessons learned and benefits of working together to maximize community resilience.
Translating research into action
We pride ourselves in helping our stakeholders turn research into action. That’s why we worked so hard to prepare for the release of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Emergency Preparedness Rule. In addition to the recently published ASPR TRACIE document CMS Emergency Preparedness Rule: Resources at Your Fingertips, we host a variety of rule-related resources on TRACIE’s dedicated CMS Resources Page. Not only do these resources help a growing number of healthcare facilities comply with the core elements of the rule, they also help staff create/update plans to guarantee the most effective emergency response possible.
