COVID-19 continues to expose challenges as to the nation’s ability to address public health emergencies and the needed response. To prepare for future health crises, the Healthcare Leadership Council http://www.hlc.org, an Alliance of major healthcare companies from all sectors, brought together more than 75 government, corporate, and nonprofit organizations to develop recommendations for an improved strategic public-private approach to identify actionable policies and practices.
Specifically, the organizations focused on three areas:
- Care Delivery—Improve patient care during times of crisis, including care capacity, workforce mobility, and health equity
- Data Sharing and Evidence Generation—Enhancing the flow of information between health systems, sectors, and geographic areas
- Innovation—Leverage new and emerging technologies in response to public health emergencies and optimizing healthcare supply chains.
To continue the conversation, a virtual media briefing plus a National Summit was held on October 29, 2020. Mary R. Grealy, President, Healthcare Leadership Council, opened the media briefing by saying, “American leaders, public health agencies, multiple government agencies at the Federal and state level, plus industry, need to collaborate and work together to better organize and handle the next pandemic or disaster.”
Calvin W. Schmidt, Senior VP and Worldwide Leader, Government Affairs and Policy, Johnson & Johnson, https://www.jnj.com reported on how important it is for the broad range of both public and private organizations to have input from federal agencies, the National Governors Association, academic centers, and industry.
According to Neil de Crescenzo—President and CEO at Change Healthcare https://www.changehealthcare.com, we need to examine and change the broad spectrum of how to handle disasters by examining how to strengthen disaster response and preparedeness not from just one part of the healthcare system but from all parts of the healthcare system.
Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, Founding Director, of the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy https://healthpolicy.duke.edu discussed the current increase use of telehealth during this crisis period, but we still need to develop, utilize, and expand innovative models not only of telehealth, but develop newer technologies to effectively deal with future disasters.
Dr. McClellan described how fast actions are underway to develop the vaccine to use against COVID-19. Fast action occurred because both public and private entities were able to develop open communication channels between FDA, NIH, and BARDA. Discussions took place on research and the clinical trials needed, details on how the manufacturing of the vaccine on a huge scale will take place, along with discussions on safety issues related to the vaccine.
The speakers at the media briefing all agreed that we must be flexible with regulations affecting a crisis situation, combine all appropriate resources and supplies to help during a crisis, further develop and connect emerging technologies, and provide incentives to develop far reaching innovative solutions to problems that may arise.
The participants at the virtual National Summit on October 29 following the media briefing presented their thoughts and ideas which are expected to help not only the U.S but also the global community effectively meet disaster and crisis situations with strength not weakness.
The full recommendations on how to develop an improved strategic public-private approach to deal with disaster preparedness and response are to be included in a report expected to be released January 2021.