WASHINGTON – FEMA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are collecting and sharing best practices and lessons learned from the whole-of-America response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The best practices are intended to help medical practitioners, emergency managers and other critical stakeholders learn from each other’s approaches and apply solutions to current response and recovery operations.
The FEMA Coronavirus Emergency Management Best Practices page provides a one-stop shop to explore best practices and lessons learned across all levels of government, private sector, academic institutions, professional associations and other organizations. HHS has a comprehensive Novel Coronavirus Resources page that highlights technical resources and information for the medical community and emergency responders.
The best practices share the learning and experiences of successful interventions and the experiences of other communities that have already faced COVID-19 challenges. FEMA will continue to add content and highlight innovative approaches that have produced positive results as communities respond to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic.
Best practices are organized around five themes:
- Helping People, which includes best practices on topics such as crisis counseling resources and anticipating and attending to civil rights;
- Government Operations best practices, such as public information and continuity of operations considerations;
- Private Sector and Infrastructure, which includes best practices for commercial trucking and food stores;
- Recovery Planning and Implementation, to include the newly released FEMA Disaster Financial Management Guide and economic recovery considerations; and
- Medical Supplies and Equipment, including best practices for the preservation of personal protective equipment while ensuring workers are protected.
State, local, tribal and territorial governments, non-governmental organizations, and businesses involved in the COVID-19 response are encouraged to send their best practices or lessons learned to FEMA Continuous Improvement Program. Submissions are reviewed by subject-matter experts at FEMA and HHS before posting.
Please visit coronavirus.gov for current health-related guidance and information on COVID-19.
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FEMA’s mission is to help people before, during and after disasters.
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