In the realm of Emergency Preparedness you may have come across the phrase "Incident Command System (ICS)" a few times. For those of you that are not familiar with that phrase, it describes how an agency, institution, facility, or organization manages resources and personnel, in an attempt to gain, obtain, or retain control over a situation or incident; whether emergent or disastrous, click here to learn more.

The Near Southwest Preparedness Alliance offers a unique course designed for healthcare professionals to learn and apply these principals in a hospital or healthcare setting. Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) provides an overview of how ICS/NIMS can be applied to your facility. Groups will gain understanding through education and then work through interactive scenarios to apply those principals.

Last week, NSPA offered this course in Salem, VA to a group of healthcare professionals. Individuals learned the history of Incident Command, the purpose of preparedness and training, and how to apply the approaches to their facility. This course was requested by Lewis Gale Hospital Salem to train and educate all of their upper management on these principals.

"I was familiar with the ICS program, but did not realize it wasn't just linear. It can be flexible and scalable based on that particular incident." - Course Participant

If you are interested in taking this course, NSPA will be offering another class on Tuesday, September 24th, click here to register. For more information about NSPA Courses or the Training & Exercise program please contact Monica McCullough.