While serving as the risk manager for Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center, I oversaw all aspects of the Health Security Prevention Response Grant which provides guidance to the clinic and outside tribal entities regarding emergency preparedness and response. Additionally, I wrote and monitored the clinic’s ongoing adherence to company policies and procedures while ensuring it operated within strict state and federal regulations. A few examples of the work I’ve done include:

• Tracking, investigating, and responding to all safety events and complaints or grievances and in turn analyzing situations and implementing corrective action plans for problems uncovered by prior risk assessments, audits and or investigations; 
• Reporting the effectiveness of corrective action plans in preventing future risk; and 
• Conducting regular and annual staff training and assisting with community prevention programs including, but not limited to OSHA Blood Borne Pathogen tracking, active shooter training (ALICE) and HIPAA compliance.

From 2015-2019, emergency preparedness was the most common emerging health topic addressed by health departments.

The Accreditation Standards & Measures include many requirements related to preparedness. Due to the relationship between accreditation and preparedness efforts, the National Health Security Preparedness Index (NHSPI) includes whether the state health department is PHAB accredited as a positive indicator. In a survey of accredited health departments, more than 80% indicated that overall, accreditation has helped their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Preparation for accreditation has been particularly helpful in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the areas of preparedness plans and policies and relationships with other sectors and stakeholders.