What Are Memoranda of Understanding?
Hospitals should consider memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with organizations that can supplement their resources and services during emergencies and disasters. MOUs are established between hospitals, other health care providers, and/or emergency response agencies to collaborate, communicate, respond, and support one another during a disaster or other public health emergency. Understandings regarding the incident command structure, patient and resource management, processes and policies in place for requesting and sharing of staff, equipment and consumable resources, as well as payment, are generally addressed in a local mutual aid MOU.