"...a collaborative health care network is needed in an area where a disaster has occurred..."
The Maryland Region III Health & Medical Coalition serves the citizens and healthcare partners throughout Central Maryland. As seen during previous natural and manmade disasters, a collaborative health care network is needed in an area where a disaster has occurred to ensure the continuation of medical care throughout the event. The impacted area may be required to await additional aid to be provided, often taking days. The Maryland Region III Health and Medical Coalition provides this multi-disciplinary collaboration to its members as well as its community. Through meeting regularly to plan and develop guidelines as a community, promulgating best practices, providing mutual aid when possible, and allocating funding for initiatives related to public health and medical emergency preparedness to increase competence and readiness for Coalition members in response to major mass casualty incidents.
The Coalition also annually reviews its preparedness efforts and initiatives to identify projects each year; sets priorities and collaborates to improve disaster response capabilities in conjunction with Coalition goals and regulatory standards when applicable. As a result of this intensive planning, the Coalition has created a more resilient healthcare community within Region III which in turn will be able to provide emergency care during a disaster when the general population needs it the most.