More than 76 percent that are part of the National Hospital Preparedness Program met 90 percent or more of measures for all-hazards preparedness in 2009, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced today. Of roughly 6,300 hospitals nationwide, more than 85 percent participate.
The state-by-state report shows that many hospitals use dedicated redundant, interoperable systems to facilitate communication between hospitals, public health agencies and emergency managers. During a disaster, these hospitals can notify a state, territory or city emergency operations center with the number of available beds in less than 60 minutes.