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Members in good standing of the South Central Kansas Healthcare Coalition are eligible for member-only website access. To login, use the Login link on the homepage. If you are an active member in good standing, but do not have a login, contact your Readiness and Response Coordinator (RRC) who will direct the Webmaster to send you an email with a unique website registration link. If you don't see the email in your inbox, check your junk mail folder. Be sure to use your business email address or it will significantly delay the approval process.

Coalition Membership and Website Registration are not the same. When you use the register link on the Register page (under About on main menu), you are registering for coalition membership, not website access. To join the South Central Kansas Healthcare Coalition, visit our Join webpage.

Registered Website Users: When you log into your account, you will see a pop-up box that lists all of the webpages you have access to. Close this box by clicking on the x and use the website top level navigation links to navigate the website.

If you can't access a page, you'll get a login screen. Click on "My Account" in the top level menu (must be logged in) to see if you have permissions to view the blocked page. If you have any questions regarding the pages you can access, visit the FAQ/Help page or contact your Readiness and Response Coordinator at sc@hccpkansas.com. 

coronavirus 

For recommended Coronavirus Resources, click on the button below.

Coronavirus Resources

NEW: Inter-facility Transfer - covid 19 Assessment form

Inter-Facility Transfer - COVID 19 Assessment Form:
 
The purpose of this form is to assist in fostering communication during transitions of care, more specifically, to transparently identify the COVID-19 status of the patient/resident prior to transfer between facilities. 
 
The intent is to protect patients/residents, healthcare staff and their facilities as all transferring parties (post-acute care facility, EMS and acute care facilities) will know the COVID-19 screening question answers for the patients/residents as they move throughout the system. By definition for this form, Post-Acute Care facilities refers to any setting in Kansas where a patient/resident receives additional medical care after discharge from a hospital. This form can be utilized in the following transfer scenarios:
 

1. Hospital to Post-Acute Care Facility 
2. Post-Acute Care Facility to Hospital
3. Hospital to Hospital
4. Post-Acute Care Facility to Post-Acute Care Facility

 
We encourage but do not require the use of this form for ALL inter-facility patient movement in Kansas to prevent any adverse events which may severely affect patient prognosis.  We equally encourage facilities to speak with their partners in order to come up with a process of incorporating this form into the patient/resident transfer process."

Cover Letter

COVID-19 Assessment Form

COVID Resources Webpage

Kansas HCC Statewide PPE Cache

The Kansas Healthcare Coalition Statewide PPE Cache is ready to accept orders. Click here to visit the storefront. KSMETROHCC members in good standing are eligible to access the cache. Login required. The cache will be available until June 30, 2022 or until supplies are exhausted, whichever comes first. Place an order today.

​For information regarding the cache, contact your Readiness and Response Coordinator.

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a simplified look at isolation and quarantine

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About ESF-8

South Central Kansas Emergency Support Function (ESF) 8 provides the mechanism for coordinated regional assistance to supplement local resources during a potential or actual response to public health and medical disasters in Kansas.
ESF-8 includes the following agencies:

• Animal Response
• Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
• Environmental Health
• Fatality Management
• Hospitals
• Mental Health
• Public Health
• Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD)

To find out more information about each agency and what their roles and responsibilities are in a disaster, scroll down.

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hospitals

ESF-8 Partners at our regional Hospitals primary mission in a disaster is the treatment of the citizens of our communities. Hospitals vary greatly in size and resources throughout South Central Kansas. Through partnerships in the region, Hospitals can call on their partners to best serve their citizens in times of crisis.

​Hospitals utilize a variation of the Incident Command System (ICS) during a disaster. Although it is specific to hospitals, the language will be familiar to all ESF-8 partners.
Hospitals are also able to communicate with other ESF-8 Partner agencies via radio and also utilize a program called EMSystem to publish the number of available beds, which can provide critical information during a disaster.

The South Central Kansas Hospital Preparedness Committee meets regularly with ESF-8 partners to network, share information, and develop plans to ensure the South Central Kansas ESF-8 know who to call in a disaster.

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emergency medical services

ESF-8 Partner Emergency Medical Services (EMS) serves as the front-line agency in a disaster. EMS is responsible for locating, evaluating, treating, and transporting the sick and injured.

Kansas EMS agencies are supported in a disaster by MERGe, a state-wide mutual aid group, which can help coordinate regional assistance to help when local EMS resources are taxed. Two specialty Disaster Medical Support Units (DMSUs) reside within our region and are capable of supporting EMS agencies during a disaster.

​EMS plays a vital role in the mitigation, planning, response, and on-going aspects of public health and medical disasters in Kansas. 

EMS personnel are highly-trained healthcare professionals that work with other ESF-8 Partners to serve their communities not just during a disaster, but every day of the year.

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public health

Public Health is the lead agency when it comes to connecting all ESF-8 Partners for planning, training, and exercises. Public Health agencies promote and protect the health of the community as a whole through education, prevention, surveillance, and response. 

The response portion varies depending on the disaster and can range from mass immunizations, to pill dispensing, to medical materials management, lab testing, and disease surveillance.

​Public Health is also vital when it comes to community recovery. A large disaster, such as a flood or a tornado, can create a large amount of debris that puts at risk the health of the population. 

Public Health is the lead agency with coordinating the recovery of the community following a disaster.

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Environmental Health

Environmental Health is a valued ESF-8 Partner that is involved in all aspects of a disaster. Environmental Health personnel may be employees of the Public Health Department, Sanitation Department, or a stand-alone agency.

​These professionals are invaluable during a disaster. Imagine a chemical spill, water supply pollution, food contamination, mold, or airborne contaminants – these hazards fall to Environmental Health.

During a response, Environmental Health inspects food, water, and shelters to ensure proper quality and sanitation. They also manage the cleanup of household hazardous materials.

Environmental Health also continuously monitors the environment following an event to assess the environment and the potential impact on the population.

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fatality management

The ESF-8 partners that deal with Fatality Management are often misunderstood. These agencies and organizations have to be nimble as their scope varies with the size and type of incident.

​A community’s Medical Examiner or Coroner has complete jurisdiction over the deceased and are responsible for many vital tasks such as: recovery efforts, setting up temporary morgues, identifying victims, and collecting postmortem data. These partners are also tasked with notifying families and assisting those families with final arrangements.

The Kansas Funeral Directors Association Disaster Team is available in our region when the medical examiner’s office resources are taxed. This team is made up of funeral directors from all over the state that volunteer to assist in the vital mission of managing fatalities.

When local, regional, & state resources are stretched thin, the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT) is a federal resource that can be called in.

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animal response

ESF-8 includes those partners that assist in the management of animals when a disaster occurs. Kansas State Animal Response Team (KS SART) is a non-profit organization that trains and organizes local/regional Animal Response Teams whose primary mission is the search/recovery, treatment, and sheltering of animals in a disaster.

Evidence has shown that both humans and animals fare better during a disaster when allowed to have access to their pets. The realization that human lives have been lost in disasters because of a lack to account for the bond between people animals and their pets makes animal response an integral part of disaster response.

​Animal Response Teams initially set up a temporary animal shelter to house displaced animals.

These shelters are placed as close as possible to shelters for citizens. They also help control the spread of disease during disasters by controlling stray animals and treating sick animals.

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community mental health

Disasters have profound emotional and psychological effects on both the community and its responders. This is where ESF-8 Partners in Behavioral Health find their mission. Behavioral Health professionals are able to provide care for the community that other healthcare professional cannot offer.

These professionals and volunteers will be available where need is high at shelters, treatment areas, meeting places, and hospitals for example.

​Psychological First Aid is a nationally developed course available to anyone to train people to provide emotional support in those crucial first few moments following a Disaster.

Behavioral Health agencies in our region, such as Sedgwick County COMCARE, are actively involved in disaster preparedness, so that if the time comes they are ready to support our communities.

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voluntary organizations active in disasters 

VOADs are Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. These ESF-8 partners are tasked with supporting their communities in a multitude of ways. VOADs as a group are made up of non-profit organizations, community groups, and government groups that utilize their resources to assist during all phases of a disaster. Whether it is providing food or shelter or supplies, these organizations are vital to assisting a community or region during a disaster. VOADs rely on their numbers of trained volunteers to fulfill their mission.

​In our region, the United Way of the Plains has taken the lead in managing unaffiliated volunteers and setting up the Volunteer Reception Center during a disaster. The Red Cross, The Salvation Army, and the United Way are among the organizations that can provide resources in our region. VOADs are highly active in the support of communities after the initial emergency responders have left.

Disaster relief is supported by multiple organizations in our region. The true recovery of a community is dependent on these ESF-8 partners.

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Kansas photographers showcase south central kansas

Hover over photo to reveal caption. Click here to submit a photograph.

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The South Central Kansas Healthcare Coalition (SCKSHCC) provides a venue whereby disaster and health emergency preparedness stakeholders from the public, private, and not-for-profit sector can share resources and information in preparedness, response, and recovery-and to do so without compromising proprietary strategies and information of individual healthcare facilities and organizations who may be competitors in the private healthcare market.​

Learn more about the SCKSHCC

Bookmark this page. The SCKSHCC domain is http://www.sckshcc.com. 

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Meet your REgional infection preventionist

Ester Knobloch is an Infection Control Specialist assigned to the South Central Kansas Region (Region 5).

She will be doing outreach to facilities in our region and is focusing on COVID-19 outbreaks and regulatory compliance issues related to infection control.

She is well versed in policies and procedures related to infection control generally, and COVID-19 more specifically.

KDHE Hai/ar program Infection Prevention REgions

Contact Ester by calling 620-343-6800 or by emailing her at eknobloch@newmanrh.org.