R7DHRE Resource Guide
This page provides a quick reference to resources that may be available to HHS Region 7 partners during any type of emergency or disaster.
It’s meant to support your existing response efforts—not replace or change how you respond. The information here was gathered through research and collaboration with partners, but it’s not a complete list of all available resources.
When using this page, continue to follow your organization’s response plans and procedures. Think of it as an extra tool to help connect you with potential support when needed.
Remember: always use local resources first before reaching out for state, regional, or national assistance.
Click on each level of resources to see what resources are available to your organization during an emergency or disaster.
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Local/County Emergency Management
Depending on your location, local emergency management may be at the city and/or county level. Local emergency management agencies hold the responsibility for comprehensive planning for, responding to, and recovering from all manners of disasters. If your agency/organization’s response to an emergency or disaster will outstrip your resources, then it is advised to contact your local emergency management agency.
Local Public Health Department
Public health systems play an integral role in preparing communities to respond to and recover from threats and emergencies. While public health agencies are expected to take the lead when infectious disease outbreaks occur, jurisdictional public health agencies also must be prepared to coordinate with an array of partners and stakeholders, including other government agencies. Much of public health preparedness is funded via the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) program.
Health Care Coalitions
Funded by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) via the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP), a healthcare coalition is a group of individual healthcare and response organizations (e.g. hospitals, EMS, emergency management, and public health agencies) in a defined geographic location that plays a critical role in partnering to prepare for and respond to disasters. HPP enables the formation of public-private partnerships among multiple types of health care, public health, emergency management organizations, and other partners empowering health care entities to save lives during disasters and emergencies.
Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may occur where they live. CERT trains volunteers in basic disaster response skills, such as safety first, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.
Medical Reserve Corps
The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a national network of almost 300,000 volunteers, organized locally to improve the health and safety of their communities. The MRC is composed of over 700 community-based units across the U.S. and its territories. Volunteers range from licensed medical and public health professionals to community members without medical training who want to help. Together, they prepare for and respond to emergencies while supporting routine public health needs. Each MRC unit develops foundational skills like CPR, Psychological First Aid, Stop the Bleed, and Incident Command training. Many units excel at sheltering, running points of distribution, and providing public health education. Beyond core capabilities, many units have specialized skill sets such as behavioral health support, radiological response, and veterinary support.
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State Emergency Management Agency (EMA)
The state EMA will assess the disaster and coordination with local management and recommend to the Governor if a state declaration is needed.
State National Guard
In the event of a disaster or emergency, local government responds using local resources. When these resources are deemed inadequate and state resources are required to cope with the situation, local officials can reach out to their state emergency management agency (EMA). The state EMA will assess the disaster and make a recommendation to the Governor on whether a state declaration is needed.
State Poison Centers
America’s Poison Centers represents the 53 accredited poison control centers in the U.S. Through the national Poison Help line (1-800-222-1222) and PoisonHelp.org website, member centers provide all Americans expert advice, 24/7/365 at no cost. Poison centers also maintain the National Poison Data System© (NPDS), our nation’s only near real-time poisoning data surveillance system, integrating the latest information from across Poison Centers.
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Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center
The Region VII Special Pathogen Treatment Center (RESPTC) is located a Nebraska Medicine on the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus. As the RESPTC for the Region VII area, the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit is prepared to care for patients with highly hazardous communicable infectious diseases and is committed to sharing our knowledge and expertise by providing educational offerings.
Regional Disaster Health Response Ecosystem
To enhance regional coordination, ASPR has funded RDHRS/E sites to establish and mature multi-state partnerships, building on local healthcare coalitions and trauma centers, and integrating local medical response capabilities with emergency medical services, burn centers, pediatric hospitals, labs and outpatient services to meet overwhelming healthcare needs created by disasters.
ASPR Region VII Office
Region 7 fosters creative and productive partnerships between private and public sectors and supports innovative approaches to public health prevention and promotion.
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FEMA
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) mission is to support the citizens and first responders to promote that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepared for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
National Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment and Education Center (NETEC)
NETEC’s mission is to set the gold standard for special pathogen preparedness and response across health system in the U.S. with the goals of driving best practices, closing knowledge gaps, and developing innovative resources.
National Disaster Medical System-Disaster Medical Assistance Teams
NDMS DMAT teams provide high-quality rapid-response medical care when public health and medical emergencies overwhelm state, local, tribal, or territorial resources. Highly adaptable, DMAT members are trained to fill a variety of impactful roles, from performing medical triage and emergency care to supporting infusion centers and vaccine sites to decompressing hospital emergency rooms to supporting patient movement and more.
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Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD)
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) was founded over 50 years ago in response to the challenges many disaster organizations experienced following Hurricane Camille, a category 5 storm that hit the Gulf Coast in August 1969. Up until that time, numerous governmental, private sector and nonprofit organizations served disaster survivors independently of one another. As a result, help came to the survivors haphazardly.
In 1970, seven national disaster response organizations convened for the first time to find a way to better coordinate responses and more effectively serve disaster survivors and their communities. As an outcome, National VOAD was formed as a forum for sharing knowledge and coordinating resources — money, materials and muscle – throughout the disaster cycle: preparation, response and recovery.
Today, National VOAD is a coalition of 70+ of the nation’s most reputable national organizations (faith-based, community-based and other non-profit organizations) and 56 State/Territory VOADs, which represent Local/Regional VOADs and hundreds of other member organizations throughout the country.
Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD)
COADs work within the State/Territory VOAD structure at the local level. This group of local community organizations work together during a disaster to provide coordination of services to ensure that unmet needs are addressed, provide financial assistance and supplies, and to share knowledge and resources with local residents during a disaster.
Long Term Recovery Groups
A long term recovery group (LTRG) is a cooperative body that is made up of representatives from faith-based, non-profit, government, business and other organizations working within a community to assist individuals and families as they recover from disaster.
LTRGs are as varied in their structure as are the communities in which they work. The personality and operation of each group is unique and reflects local needs, available resources, cultural diversity, leadership style, and community support. No matter how a group is structured or what it calls itself the goal is the same: to unite recovery resources with community needs in order to ensure that even the most vulnerable in the community recover from a specific disaster.