TCMA President Julie Couch requested that Immediate Past President Mike Land investigate the role TCMA and its membership may have in addressing health emergency responses. Two objectives were developed:
- Determine what resources need to be made available to the Associations membership that will offer the greatest benefit. This includes establishing strategies centered on leveraging the needs of the Association’s membership that maximize available resources.
- Establish appropriate partnerships with federal, state, and regional entities along with health care and private sector service providers that promote effective and efficient delivery of vital services before during, and after mass virus illness situations. This includes establishing common goals and partnership opportunities including leveraging training, resources, programs, and coordinating legislative initiatives where appropriate.
Shanna Igo, TML Deputy Executive Director for Legislative Services, helped to identify and establish the connection needed for TCMA to meet these objectives. Regional workshops titled “High Consequence Infectious Disease Response: Ebola and Other Pathogens, a Multi-Disciplinary Workshop” are being offered by the Texas Department of State Health Services’ Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Section (HEPRS). The TCMA Board encourages you and your staff to register and attend one of the regional workshops. For information on the workshops and to register, please click on Infectious Disease Response.