HAP Blog

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.

Unfortunately, many of us wake up daily to news media outlets reporting with updates about Russia’s military operations within Ukraine. The conflict has brought uncertainty and fear for many individuals in Ukraine and worldwide.

As we see this rapidly changing landscape with COVID-19 case numbers declining, the normal reaction is that we will soon return to our pre-COVID baseline. Those pre-COVID routines may have met all the requirements…but we have learned too much from the pandemic to go back to our old normal. Reverting back to our old ways means missing some valuable new opportunities.

Ask anyone in the business of weather watching and they will tell you that forecasting winter weather is one of the hardest things to do accurately. We know that winter weather can have a severe impact on our facilities, so tracking these forecasts is part of our job in emergency management.

Hospitals and health systems aren’t just responsible to care for patients. They’re also the caretakers of sensitive personal information. The rise of cyberattacks in health care may make you feel uneasy, but there are steps you can take to protect your organization.

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.