Arizona is one of America’s leading states in developing a plan for Crisis Standards of Care.  Crisis Standards of Care are those standards that are implemented when a catastrophic event occurs and there are shortages of space, supplies, and staff within the hospital and healthcare community.  These protocols can serve as a planning platform from the state and local government to the individual hospital and healthcare facility level.

Our Public Health Emergency Preparedness Bureau hosted the Arizona Crisis Standards of Care Tabletop Exercise on May 19th.  The purpose of the tabletop was to update our existing plan and set the stage for future medical surge planning within Arizona.  There are many partners that must be engaged to develop a successful plan.

Partners who have been active in Arizona include clinicians, emergency management, legal experts, preparedness coordinators, and community members from across Arizona.  We hope that the plan will never need to be implemented, but it is important we be prepared so that we can handle emergency situations effectively, as our citizens would expect of us.