2021 Disaster Planning Virtual Conference

Program originally recorded September 14 & 15, 2021

This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.

COVID-19 brought about unforeseen challenges and solutions, forever changing the face of emergency readiness. With gritty determination and endless perseverance, you demonstrated day in and day out how valuable you are to keeping our communities safe and healthy.

In 2020, emergency services professionals, community partners and health care leaders learned from each other like never before. You took new paths to find solutions, created new protocols, found light at the end of a long tunnel – moving beyond the pandemic.

IoT Cyber Security: Foundational Security for IoT

Lyndon Brown
Chief Strategy Officer
Pondurance

The Internet of Things (IoT) applications are growing rapidly with more healthcare organizations adopting the use of security cameras, drones, internet connected HVAC, and more. However, not all devices are designed with security in mind. Data breaches in the news are increasing in frequency. Do you know if your devices are protected and how you can protect your IoT data? 

Covered in this session:

  • Explore IoT use cases.
  • Discuss types of vulnerabilities and attack vectors.
  • Share how to protect your IoT data.

From Digital to Physical Disaster: The Impact of Ransomware Attacks on Hospitals and Health Systems

John Riggi
Senior Advisor for Cybersecurity and Risk
American Hospital Association

John Riggi, senior advisor for cybersecurity and risk at the American Hospital Association, a nationally recognized cybersecurity expert and former FBI cyber senior executive has been on the forefront in directly assisting health care providers as they prepare for, respond to and recover from ransomware attacks. Mr. Riggi will discuss his uniquely informed national perspective on the rash of recent ransomware attacks, identify the groups behind these attacks, how hospitals and health systems have become victimized, and what can be done to prevent these attacks.

Mr. Riggi will also discuss the impact these ransomware attacks have had on large systems and small hospitals — from lost data and revenue to civil and regulatory exposure, loss of community confidence and, most significantly, impact to patient care delivery and risk to patient safety.  

Mr. Riggi will also discuss AHA’s national call to action to the federal government to utilize all elements of national power to “defend forward” and disrupt these ransomware attackers who are being provided safe harbor in adversarial nations. The government has heard the call and responded.


Active Shooter Awareness, Response and Survival Training for All Hospital Staff Members

Michelle Walsh
Security Manager
Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center

Active shooter events are on the rise, and emergency management and security officials are increasingly tasked with ways to effectively and safely train hospital workers on how to respond. Ms. Walsh will discuss new methodology of how to tackle the crucial task of training each hospital staff member and department, based on their unique functions within the hospital, as well as with their specific locations on any hospital campus.


Overflowing Morgues: More Lessons from COVID-19

Scott Cossey
Disaster Planner/Surge Coordinator, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital
Kendall Jones, M.Div., MBA-HM, HEM
Director, Environmental Health and Safety,
HCA Healthcare, Riverside Community Hospital
Terry Stone RN, MS, CPHQ
Safety Officer and Emergency Preparedness Manager,
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital

This breakout session combines Morgue Management in a Pandemic and
Walking with the Dead: A Story from Henry Mayo Hospital.

Experts from a community hospital and a stand-alone acute care facility share stories and describe how the continuity of decedent management is challenged when existing resources are beyond capacity. Quick planning and coordination with the county EMD, county coroner’s office, and local overflow mortuaries, and transportation and storage capacity issues were critical to staying ahead of reaching critical capacity. At the same time, facilities had to manage staff suffering from illness and PTSD due to massive increase of morgue duties. Speakers will demonstrate how employing solutions assures the community that the hospital is still a safe place to receive care. Lessons learned from the presentation will assist health care emergency management personnel in planning for future decedent surges within a hospital morgue.


Charting Employee Needs Through Uncharted Territory

Tena Abrams
Manager, Workforce Support Services, Sharp HealthCare
Kathryn Riggs, LCSW, CEAP, ACC
Manager Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Sharp HealthCare
Megan Spurling Manager, Sharp Best Health, Sharp HealthCare
Janet Villalobos
Vice President, HR & Talent Management, Sharp HealthCare

For those in the health care industry, the workforce was front in center in caring for patients during the pandemic. Employers had to quickly refocus and implement workforce strategies, resources and programs to address employee safety, and mental, physical, and financial needs during the pandemic. Sharp HealthCare shares best practices, programs and resources they developed and implemented.


A View Into UC Health’s COVID-19 Command Centers

David Blacksberg
Senior Consultant, BSI Consulting Services
Joe Brothman Director, Facilities, Environmental Health and Safety & Emergency Management,
UC Irvine Health
Kevin Dugan
Director, Emergency Management,
UC San Francisco Health
Kurt Kainsinger Director, Office of Emergency Preparedness,
UCLA Health

Kristina Spurgeon Emergency Manager, University of California, Davis Health
Matthias Tooman
Emergency Operations Manager, UC San Francisco Health

UC Health Emergency Managers at all five UC Medical Centers were front and center for COVID-19 response, even before it was a leading news story. The EMs are often asked questions like: How did we do this? Did we know this was coming? What are we thinking about now? What is it that you do here, exactly? They would love to share their experiences with you. Join us for a panel presentation with the Emergency Managers from all five University of California Medical Centers.


WRAP-EM Telehealth and COVID-19 Community Regional Response

Mubeen Jafri, MD
Associate Professor, 
Oregon Health & Science University
Karla Lavin Williams, DrPH Southern California Coordinator, Western Region Alliance for Pediatric Emergency Management (WRAP-EM)
James Marcin 
Professor, 
UC Davis
P. Brian Savino, MD, MPH
Director of Prehospital Care, Western Region Alliance for Pediatric Emergency Management (WRAP-EM)

This session is a combination of Community Regional Response to COVID-19 and Telehealth in Pediatric Emergency Management.

The first presentation includes lessons learned and best practices identified through a comprehensive examination of the WRAP-EM community regional response to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Attendees will learn about the impact a supportive regional community can have on the positive health outcomes of pediatric patients, their families, health care providers, communities, and beyond.

The second presentation focuses on the WRAP-EM survey of pediatric emergency preparedness experts on telehealth infrastructure and how telehealth was integrated into existing pediatric emergency care. In addition to creating several recommendations for health systems, speakers share the challenges, what worked and lessons learned during the pandemic along with a “telehealth legal playbook” that addresses legal and regulatory barriers to telehealth in pediatric disaster management.


How to Prepare for The Joint Commission EM Survey Now and in the Future

James Kendig, MS, CHSP, CHCM, HEM
Field Director, Surveyor Management and Development
Accreditation and Certification Operations
The Joint Commission

The Joint Commission accredits and certifies over 22,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. It is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Join us as Field Director James Kending discusses changes to the Emergency Management survey process, overviews the review tool and lays out the updated standards and Elements of Performance (EPs).

Finding the Money. A Process for Cost Recovery

David Blacksberg
Senior Consultant, BSI Consulting Services
Gabrielle Wilson, MBA
Director, Strategic Initiatives and Executive Affairs, UC San Diego Health

Disasters can be costly; you and your organization can get some help with the financial impact. This presentation will provide attendees with a view of coordination efforts, understanding processes and the integral components to submitting a project to FEMA for potential financial recovery.


Becoming Your Own Personal Energy Expert: Managing and Expanding Energy & Excellence

Natalie Johnson, MS
Co-Founder and Chief Visionary Officer
ViDL Solutions

The need to focus on well-being is paramount to enhancing resiliency and creating performance excellence during adversity. This dynamic session encourages attendees to examine elements of purpose, passion, relationships, and vision that contribute to well-being at work and in life.

Ms. Johnson will demonstrate how prioritizing well-being contributes to personal effectiveness, supports teams, and helps achieve organizational outcomes. She will also help you identify and operationalize your best self-vision to use as the foundation for balance and effective decision-making in work and life. Finally, she will teach you how to develop strategies for attending to your physical, emotional, and mental energy so you can show up in alignment with purpose and best serve your communities and families.


COVID-19 Surge: Hospitals Implement Countywide Virtual Bed Management System

Meenesh Bhimani, MD Hospital Executive, O’Connor Hospital
Jo Coffaro Regional Vice President, Hospital Council – Northern & Central California
Dolly Goel
Chief Clinical Managed Cared Officer, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
James Griffith
Chief Operating Officer, El Camino Health
Ahmad Kamal
Director, Healthcare System Preparedness, County of Santa Clara
Alison Kerr, RN, MSN
Vice President, Neuroscience, Psychiatry, Operations, Stanford Health Care

Hospitals need to be ready for any disaster with effective surge management strategies and tools. In Santa Clara County, the hospitals responded to a critical COVID-19 patient surge by coming together and creating a framework for a countywide Virtual Bed Management System. Hospital COOs will share the Smart Sheet tool developed to share confidential information and to allow for rapid assessment of each hospitals’ daily status, and will share insights on how this tool was used to expedite decision making to tackle immediate concerns, including patient transfers and level loading. The County EOC’s Hospital Preparedness Coordinator will highlight the multiple lines of communication between hospitals and county leadership during the surge.


Revisions to The Annual Coalition Surge Test (CST) Exercise

David Csernak, MS, MA, Regional Supervisor (Acting), National Healthcare Preparedness Programs, Emergency Management & Medical Operations, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Kevin Sheehan, Captain, U.S. Public Health Service, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), National Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP), Region IX; and Olugbadero Yerokun, Consultant, Core Business Operations, Deloitte

The CST is an evacuation-based exercise and is one of the required activities that Healthcare Coalitions (HCCs) must participate in as members of the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP).

Although the CST is an annual requirement, HPP waived this requirement for the last two years due to COVID. HPP requires HCCs to conduct the CST exercise this year. The purpose of the CST exercise is to foster coordination, collaboration, and communication among HCC partners. 

At the suggestion of many partners, including hospitals, healthcare associations, and HCC members, HPP staff, with the help of numerous SMEs, revised the CST exercise. This session provides the opportunity to learn more about the upcoming revisions, ask questions and receive explanations.


What About Right of Boom? The Medical Surge Following a Radiological/Nuclear MCI

Jeffrey Day
Director, Los Angeles County, Radiation Management, Los Angeles County
Michelle Heckle, HSEM Division Commander Director, Homeland Security, University of California, San Francisco
Kenneth Luke, MBA, BSN, RN, NHDP-BC
Director, Security & Emergency Management,
Mercy Medical Center Redding, California
Tanya Ridgle
Principal Radiation Protection Specialist, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Mark Sutter, MD
Medical Operations Directorate (CW-1), Countering Weapons of Mass Destructions Office, US Department of Homeland Security
Sauda Yerabati, MPH
Emergency Preparedness Program Manager, California Department of Health

Right of Boom refers to impacts following a radiological/nuclear explosion which is in the Medical and Health domain. An improvised nuclear detonation (IND) is the highest impact terrorism event. It also has the highest potential for saving lives, hundreds of thousands of lives. Yet medical and health preparedness activities rarely address radiological emergencies and the unique attributes of radiological exposure and contamination. Hospitals and local jurisdictions that plan for medical surge of contaminated patients will save thousands of lives without endangering their workforce or disrupting other operations.


Crisis Standards of Care

Hugh Black, MD
Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California Davis Medical Center
Kristina Spurgeon Emergency Manager, University of California, Davis Health

UC Davis Health took a very unique approach to Crisis Standards of Care, perhaps the most difficult topic to plan for in any setting. What is a hospital supposed to do when there are not enough resources to go around in a disaster? How do you have these conversations? Who should be involved? The first answer: everyone. Consensus is key, and paramount. Please join us to learn how UCDH convened a group of physicians, bioethicists, communications specialists, and disaster planners to work through this incredibly arduous topic.


Physician Redeployment During Three COVID-19 Surges

Rick Dlott, MD
Endocrinologist and Clinical Informaticist,
The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG), Kaiser Permanente Northern CA
Suzy Fitzgerald
Regional Emergency Training Director
Kaiser Permanente
Mary Meyer, MD
Emergency Medicine
Kaiser Permanente

Between March 2020 and March 2021, Northern California experienced three COVID-19 surges, each one sequentially larger than the last. Each of these surges had the potential to strain traditional physician staffing, and so a centralized physician redeployment program was developed across the 21 medical centers of Kaiser Permanente Northern California to address potential shortages. The program developed and refined a number of redeployment strategies, including leveraging the interconnectedness of physicians within the KP Northern California health care system. This presentation focuses on the strategies used to redeploy physicians, as well as the training and mental health support provided by the program.


Supply Chain Management: Getting Supplies, Creative Solutions, and Long-Term Planning

Susanna Shaw Director, Environmental Safety and Security,
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital
Noel Skaling, CMRP
Director,
Supply Chain Management, Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital
Kristen Tufvesson
Vice President, Finance & Controller,
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital

COVID-19 brought forth so many unprecedented challenges in health care, and along with it was the worldwide demand for supplies. PPE was a scarcity with suppliers unable to fulfill the increased demand. Cottage Health will share some of its strategies that allowed it to be successful in ensuring PPE for staff across its three hospitals, laboratory, and urgent care centers. Presenters will also share ongoing measures still in effect and strategies currently being implemented to prepare for the future.

Tena Abrams
Manager, Workforce Support Services
Sharp HealthCare

Tena Abrams has been with Sharp Healthcare system since 1978. Ms. Abrams has worked in various positions within Sharp HealthCare and is now the Manager of Workforce Support and the chair of several teams. She is passionate about keeping employees motivated about commuting solutions, staycations in San Diego, and volunteerism.

David Blacksberg
Senior Consultant
BSI Consulting Services
David Blacksberg is currently a senior consultant with BSI Consulting Services, specializing in emergency management and business continuity. Previously, Mr. Blacksberg served as the supervisor for emergency management and business continuity across the UC San Diego Health systems four hospital sites, and numerous ambulatory locations. Mr. Blacksberg is an accomplished leader with over 20 years of experience developing best practices for regulatory and accreditation compliance and incident preparedness, response, and recovery. He has held numerous roles in the command center during large-scale events such as Superstorm Sandy, widespread blackouts, and COVID-19 response.

Joe Brothman
Director, Facilities, Environmental Health, and Safety, & Emergency Management
UCI Health
In his current role, Joe Brothman manages UCI Health’s facilities management programs, central plant operations, staff safety programs, and emergency management activities for the organization. Mr. Brothman joined UCI Health after overseeing emergency management, safety, and facility management programs at multiple hospitals and trauma centers in Orange County. He is President of the Orange County Chapter of the California Society for Healthcare Engineers and a member of the California Hospital Associations emergency management oversight committee. Additionally, he is a Terrorism Liaison Officer and Infrastructure Liaison Officer through the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center.

Lyndon Brown
Chief Strategy Officer
Pondurance

Lyndon Brown has focused his career on helping medium and large enterprises solve biggest security challenges. This includes delivering solutions that secure IT, cloud, and IoT environments. Prior to joining Pondurance, Lyndon served as Vice President of Business Development at FireEye Mandiant, where he focused on strategic growth initiatives. As an executive, Lyndon has successfully led product management, M&A, and global partnerships at firms such as Verodin (acquired by FireEye) and Endgame (acquired by Elastic).

Scott Cossey
Disaster Planner/Surge Coordinator
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital
Scott Cossey is a Disaster Resource Coordinator/Trauma Surge Coordinator for Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. Scott serves as the Regional Disaster Resource Coordinator for Region 5, supporting eight umbrella organizations, over 22 Long Term Care Facilities, and over nine Ambulatory Service Companies. During a crisis, Mr. Cossey is tasked with deploying badly needed Hospital Preparedness Program-funded resources. He also completed multiple overseas contracts supporting US Armed Forces during OIF II and OIF I.

Kevin Dugan, MS, MPH, CHPCP
Director of Emergency Management
UCSF Health
Mr. Dugan oversees the development and implementation of the Health System’s emergency management responsibilities at its hospitals and ambulatory care sites across the Bay Area. Prior to his current position, he served as a Site Director of Emergency Management for the Mount Sinai Health System. In this role, he led emergency management activities at several different hospitals and ambulatory care locations throughout the greater New York City area. Before more directly joining the field of emergency management, Mr. Dugan worked as a hospital administrator across multiple different service lines.

Mubeen Jafri, MD
Associate Professor
Oregon Health & Science University

Dr. Mubeen Jafri is the Chief of Pediatric Surgery at Oregon Health & Science University and the Pediatric Trauma Medical Director at Randall Children’s Hospital. His research focuses on pediatric traumatic injury-related outcomes, trauma coagulopathy, injury prevention, reduction of ionizing radiation exposure in pediatric imaging and the development of standardized protocols in the management of injured children. He serves as the site Primary Investigator for the Injury Free Coalition for Kids (IFCK), the NIH funded ENRICH-US Inflammatory Bowel Grant, and ASPR-funded WRAP-EM Disaster Management Consortium.

Kendall Jones
Director, Environmental Health and Safety
Riverside Community Hospital (RCH), Riverside, CA
As the hospital Safety Officer for RCH, Mr. Jones has oversight over The Joint Commission’s six chapters of the Environment of Care and Emergency Management. He is also responsible for the hospital’s security, telecommunications, morgue, and lobby desks visitor management/COVID screening departments and programs. Mr. Jones is coordinating over 21 on-campus construction projects for RCH including an ER Addition and Expansion, NICU Addition and Expansion, Medical Steam Addition, and a Card Access System Upgrade. In Emergency Management, he has lead, coordinated, and developed tabletop, functional, and full-scale exercises for hospital and county disaster drills.

Kurt Kainsinger
Director, Office of Emergency Preparedness
UCLA Health
Kurt Kainsinger has been the Director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness at UCLA Health since 2012. Prior to this position, Mr. Kainsinger served in the role of Disaster Resource Center Manager since 2007. Before UCLA Health, he worked for the UCLA Police Department, where he was an Emergency Medical Technician for the campus 9-1-1 response ambulance from 1998 to 2002, and the Emergency Medical Services Manager from 2002-2007. Additionally, he is currently a member of the Los Angeles County Disaster Coalition Advisory Committee, as well as the California Hospital Association Emergency Management Advisory Committee.

James Kendig, MS, CHSP, CHCM, HEM
Field Director, Surveyor Management and Development
Accreditation and Certification Operations
The Joint Commission

James Kendig is the Field Director for the Life Safety Code Surveyors/Engineers at The Joint Commission. In this role, he oversees half (approximately 40) of the surveyor cadre who specialize in surveying The Joint Commission’s life safety, environment of care, and emergency management standards.

Previously, Mr. Kendig also served as a Joint Commission Life Safety Code Surveyor. Prior to joining The Joint Commission, he was a Vice President and Safety Officer for a four-hospital system in Florida on the “Space Coast”.

Mr. Kendig maintains certifications as a Certified Healthcare Safety Professional, Certified Hazard Control Manager, Certified Healthcare Environmental Manager, and is a licensed Healthcare Risk Manager. He serves on the faculty of the University of Central Florida’s Licensed Risk Management Program.

Karla Lavin Williams, DrPH
Southern California Coordinator
Western Regional Alliance for Pediatric Emergency Management (WRAP-EM)

Karla Lavin Williams, DrPH serves as the Southern California Coordinator for the Western Regional Alliance for Pediatric Emergency Management (WRAP-EM). Karla Williams healthcare industry background spans over 25 years where she has skillfully held a variety of positions in innovative solutions for surge capacity, advanced emergency medical response, integrated technologies and systems, mass casualty and disaster prevention administration, public health, health administration, health education, and executive and wellness coaching. Ms. Williams is also a full-time faculty member and Program Director for the Healthcare Administration Program at Loma Linda University located in Southern California.

James P. Marcin, MD, MPH, FAAP, FATA
Professor
UC Davis

Dr. Marcin has served on several committees, including the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) Telehealth Advisory Committee, the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Pediatric Workforce, and the Emergency Medical Services for Children Innovation and Improvement Center Telehealth Advisory Council. In addition to his clinical work in the Pediatric ICU, Dr. Marcin conducts research and advocacy on issues related to access and quality of care, particularly as they relate to telehealth and children with special health care needs and acutely ill and injured children in rural communities.

John Riggi
Senior Advisor for Cybersecurity and Risk
American Hospital Association

John Riggi is the first Senior Advisor for Cybersecurity and Risk for the American Hospital Association and their 5000+ member hospitals. John leverages his nearly 30 years with the FBI and CIA in the investigation and disruption of cyber threats, international organized crime and terrorist organizations to assist on policy and advocacy issues. His trusted access to hospital leadership and government agencies enhances John’s national perspective and ability to provide uniquely informed risk advisory services.

Kathryn Riggs, LCSW, CEAP, ACC
Manager, Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Sharp HealthCare
Kathryn Riggs, LCSW, CEAP, ACC, is the Manager of the Sharp Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at Sharp HealthCare in San Diego, California, where she has served in this role for more than five years. She is a Certified Employee Assistance Professional with more than 25 years of experience. Kathryn is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and completed her graduate work in EAP at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She completed her undergraduate work in Psychology at Cal State University, Long Beach.

P. Brian Savino, MD, MPH
Director, Prehospital Care
Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Dr. Savino finished his emergency medicine residency at Michigan State University and went on to complete a fellowship in EMS medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He is dual boarded in both Emergency Medicine and EMS. Currently, he serves in the role of Exercise group lead for the Western Regional Alliance for Pediatric Emergency Management (WRAP-EM).

Kristina Spurgeon
Emergency Manager
UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA
Ms. Spurgeon has over 17 years of health care experience currently serving in a Level 1 Trauma and Pediatric care specialty center.  Her primary focus is on overall system readiness, specifically on training people up with the tools they need to walk into any command center for any event, ready to go. Ms. Spurgeon holds a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Arizona, and a Master of Public Health from San Francisco State.

Megan Spurling
Manager
Sharp Best Health
Ms. Spurling has been a part of the Sharp Best Health team since 2011. In this role, she is responsible for developing and deploying programs, educational resources, strategic health interventions, and environmental changes to improve and support the health and well-being of the 19,000 team members which make up Sharp HealthCare. She received her Six Sigma Green Belt in the fall of 2020.

Terry Stone, RN, MS, CPHQ
Safety Officer and Emergency Preparedness Manager
Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital
Terry Stone is currently the Safety Officer and Emergency Preparedness Manager of Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia, California. She is a registered nurse, has a master’s degree in health care administration, and is certified in health care quality and emergency management. Much of her career has been in nursing, administrative leadership positions, and emergency management in the acute care hospital setting.

Matthias Tooman
Emergency Operations Manager
UC San Francisco Health

Matthias Tooman is an Emergency Operations Manager at UCSF Health. He worked as an Emergency Management Specialist in the Air Force for six years before joining UCSF Health. He has experience in HazMat response and training, CBRNE response and mitigation, Emergency Management training and exercise management.

Janet Villalobos
Vice President, HR & Talent Management
Sharp HealthCare

Ms. Villalobos has over thirty years of human resources experience. In her current position, she is responsible for developing and maintaining consistent, proactive, and consultative talent management and employee engagement support across all entities of Sharp HealthCare. She has the privilege of leading an amazing team of professionals within HR and Talent Management, Talent Acquisition, and the Employee Assistance Program who work to provide consistent and exceptional resources to support Sharp HealthCare’s Best Place to Work Vision.  

Michelle Walsh
Security Manager
Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center

In her current role, Ms. Walsh oversees hospital compliance and training. She has over 20 years of experience in leadership, team building, and organizational development. For more than 10 years, she has led active shooter awareness, response, and survival training to thousands of community members and hospital staff members. She is an active Tactical Combat Casualty Care Provider with NAEMT and is a member of Special Operations Medicine. Ms. Walsh formally worked as a hospital compliance coordinator and Manager of Emergency Management & Public Safety at Victor Valley Global Medical Center.

Meenesh Bhimani, MD
Hospital Executive
O’Connor Hospital

Dr. Bhimani is the Hospital Executive at O’Connor Hospital. He oversees all operations of this 348-bed facility which is part of the County of Santa Clara health system.  He has been at O’Connor Hospital since 2006 serving in various roles both clinically and administratively.  As a board-certified emergency physician, he has worked clinically in the emergency department, served as department chair, president of the medical staff, and more recently the physician executive at O’Connor Hospital.

Hugh Black, MD
Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine,
University of California Davis Medical Center

Dr. Hugh Black is a clinical professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center. He has a broad interest in multidisciplinary critical care, cardiothoracic medical and neurocritical care, and critical care curriculum development as well as quality improvement and benchmarks of excellence in critical care. Dr. Black utilized his experience to leverage the electronic health record in data acquisition, curation, validation, and implementation for rigorous study.  He was recently appointed to the University of California Office of the President Task Force on Crisis Standards of Care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

David Blacksberg
Senior Consultant
BSI Consulting Services
David Blacksberg is currently a senior consultant with BSI Consulting Services, specializing in emergency management and business continuity. Previously, Mr. Blacksberg served as the supervisor for emergency management and business continuity across the UC San Diego Health systems four hospital sites, and numerous ambulatory locations. Mr. Blacksberg is an accomplished leader with over 20 years of experience developing best practices for regulatory and accreditation compliance and incident preparedness, response, and recovery. He has held numerous roles in the command center during large-scale events such as Superstorm Sandy, widespread blackouts, and COVID-19 response.

Jo Coffaro
Regional Vice President
Hospital Council
Northern & Central California
Jo Coffaro joined the Hospital Council as Regional Vice President for the South Bay region in 2010. She previously served as Local Government Relations Manager at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital for six years. In addition, she spent five years as the Senior Legislative Aide for the Vice Mayor of the City of San Jose. She has 20 years of experience in government relations with a focus on state and local issues.

Ms. Coffaro serves on several healthcare and non-healthcare boards and committees throughout the region. She convenes meetings with member hospitals, elected officials, government agencies, and community partners with the goal of improving lives in our community. The Silicon Valley Business Journal recognized Jo’s accomplishments with a Women of Influence award in 2013.

Jeffrey Day
Director, Los Angeles County, Radiation Management
Los Angeles County

Jeffrey Day has 22 years as a Health Physicist (protects people from radiation) with 16 of those years served in Los Angeles County. He has a master’s degree in Physics and is certified nationally as a radiation protection specialist (NRRPT). Currently, Mr. Day is serving as Director of Los Angeles County Radiation Management.

Rick Dlott, MD
Endocrinologist and Clinical Informaticist,
The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG), Kaiser Permanente Northern CA

Dr. Rick Dlott has been the TPMG Medical Director for Population Care since 2008 where he oversees the many population care programs covering the 4.5 million members of Kaiser Permanente in Northern CA. Since March of 2020, he’s led the TPMG outpatient COVID Home Care Program which has assessed and cared for nearly 300,000 members during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suzy Fitzgerald
Regional Emergency Training Director
Kaiser Permanente

Dr. Suzy Fitzgerald is an emergency physician with Kaiser Permanente in Santa Rosa, California. She is also the Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KP NCAL) Emergency Management Training Director, the COVID-19 Training Lead for The Permanente Medical Group in KP NCAL, and works regionally for KP NCAL on crisis care guidelines, simulation training, and workflow initiatives. Dr. Fitzgerald is part of the KP Northern California Regional Emergency Management Team and assisted with the KP Santa Rosa hospital evacuations in both 2017 and 2019.

Dolly Goel
Chief Clinical Managed Care Officer
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
Ms. Goel has served various roles throughout her health care career. She has been the medical director at San Jose Medical Group and Santa Clara Family Health Plan as well as the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. She then moved into the position of chief medical officer at Valley Health Plan and chief clinical managed care officer for the County of Santa Clara Health System. Ms. Goel served as the medical branch director for the county of Santa Clara Health System during the pandemic. She was responsible for leading the clinical decisions, workflow, and operations within the health system in response to COVID-19.

James Griffith
Chief Operating Officer
El Camino Hospital

As the chief operating officer, Mr. Griffith is responsible for smooth and efficient operations of El Camino Hospital, including all clinical service lines, facilities and construction development, nursing operations, and performance improvement processes. Mr. Griffith has nearly 20 years of health care experience. Most recently, he served as chief operating officer and chief strategy officer for Tanner Health System in Carrollton, Georgia. Previously, Mr. Griffith spent almost 15 years at Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System in Salinas, California where he was responsible for operations, physician relations, business development and strategic initiatives.

Michelle Heckle, HSEM Division Commander
Director, Homeland Security
University of California, San Francisco
Coming from the health care industry, Ms. Heckle has served in Emergency Management for the last 36 years. She is distinguished in her role in championing pediatric disaster management and serves as a subject matter expert in pediatric and hospital disaster response. She often supports the department during emergency activations by serving as Law Enforcement Liaison. Ms. Heckle is also a Certified Health Care Emergency Professional, CERT T4 Instructor, and AHA Heartsaver Instructor. Outside of her role with UCSF, she serves as City of Lafayette Emergency Preparedness Commissioner.

Natalie Johnson, MS
Co-Founder and Chief Visionary Officer
ViDL Solutions

Natalie Johnson is a co-founder of ViDL Solutions. She serves as the company’s Chief Visionary Officer and oversees business development, strategy and innovation. Additionally, she works directly with clients, providing consulting, training and coaching services. 

Ms. Johnson is an industry-recognized Performance Coach, a sought-after keynote speaker, a certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator and a certified coach with the Wellcoaches™ organization. she has worked with numerous large, global organizations such as Johnson & Johnson and Deloitte as well as with the United States Airforce and Department of Defense.

Ahmad Kamal
Director, Healthcare System Preparedness
County of Santa Clara

In addition to serving as associate chief of the division of gastroenterology, Dr. Kamal is vice-chair of internal medicine and director of the clinical research pathway  He is also an associate professor of medicine (affiliated) at Stanford and is active in teaching medical students, residents, and fellows. Dr. Kamal has been named a fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association and has been recognized several times in the “Top Doctors” list. Most recently, he was one of six recipients of Silicon Valley Business Journal’s Excellence in Healthcare Award. Dr. Kamal has also been active in clinical and health services research, authoring 20 peer-reviewed publications, over 40 abstracts, and seven book chapters. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Kamal served as the director of healthcare preparedness for the county of Santa Clara and was awarded the supervisors medal for outstanding service.

Alison Kerr, RN, MSN
Vice President, Neuroscience, Psychiatry, Operations
Stanford Health Care
Alison Kerr, RN, MSN, joined Stanford University Medical Center, September 1991 as a clinical nurse, and has risen through the ranks of hospital leadership to her current role as Chief Administrative Officer, Operations, and Vice President of the Neuroscience Service and Orthopaedic Surgery Destination Service Lines. In her role as CAO, she has additional operational responsibility for the Emergency Room (adult and pediatric), Pathology/lab services, Stanford Blood Center, Level 1 trauma and Stroke programs, Pharmacy Services, and Office of Emergency Management.

Kenneth Luke, MBA, BSN, RN, NHDP-BC
Director, Security & Emergency Management
Mercy Medical Center Redding, California

Kenneth Luke has worked in health care for over twenty years, mostly as a Registered Nurse in the Emergency Department and recently as the Disaster, Base Station, & Infectious Diseases Coordinator at Mercy Medical Center Redding. He has been a guest lecture on the History of Emergency Management and Highly Infectious Diseases in relation to nursing and provides multiple trainings associated with emergency preparedness.

Mary C. Meyer, MD, MPH
Emergency Medicine Physician
Medical Director, Emergency Management
Kaiser Permanente Northern California
Ms. Meyer is a veteran of multiple disaster events, including California wildfires, the COVID pandemic, Ebola patients-under-investigation, IT disruptions, international and domestic disaster relief operations, power outages, measles investigations, and patient-initiated violence. She participated in the evacuation of Kaiser Santa Rosa during the KP NCAL response to the North Bay Fires and a multi-agency disaster relief response during the Camp Fire of Butte County.

Tanya Ridgle
Principal Radiation Protection Specialist
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Tanya Ridgle is a Principal Radiation Protection Specialist for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Radiation Management. In this role, Ms. Ridgle responds to and investigates incidents involving radioactive materials, provides radiation safety training and support to local first responders and stakeholders. Ms. Ridgle also assists with the development of radiological emergency plans and procedures.

With over 20 years of experience, Ms. Ridgle has developed radiation safety manuals and guidance documents for nuclear pharmacies throughout the United States and Canada served as Radiation Safety Officer on three California Radioactive Material Licenses, and performed audits of radioactive material licensees and programs in various states. Ms. Ridgle has also been a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) certified Counter-Terrorism Operations Support instructor since March 2015. She has traveled throughout the United States to provide technical instruction to emergency responders on Radiological/Nuclear prevention and response. Ms. Ridgle also serves on the executive board as a member at large and Homeland Security/Emergency Response Council Chair. 

Susanna Shaw
Director, Environmental Safety and Security
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital
Ms. Shaw uses her background in environmental health to protect and provide for the safety of employees, patients, and visitors at three Cottage Health hospitals in Santa Barbara County, the largest of which is Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital (SBCH), a Level 1 Trauma center licensed for 519 beds. Overseeing security, emergency management, and environment of care, Ms. Shaw partners with local community agencies to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and leads major initiatives that improve the overall safety of her organization. At the onset of COVID, she was responsible for setting upsurge tents outside of each of the three hospitals, as well as updating surge plans, leading to planning for and setting up five COVID cohort units at SBCH.

Captain Kevin P. Sheehan, M.P.H., M.B.A., CIH, CSP, REHS
Field Project Officer, National Healthcare Preparedness Program
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR)
Region IX, San Francisco, CA
CAPT Kevin Sheehan is Commissioned Officer in the United States Public Health Service and is currently assigned to the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) as the Field Project Officer for HHS Region IX. CAPT Sheehan offers technical assistance, and grant guidance to 11 separate HPP recipients. Since 2015, he has provided fiscal grant management oversight to more than $200 million in federal HPP funds to improve healthcare preparedness and response for emergencies and infectious disease outbreaks. He supports the following jurisdictions in HHS Region IX: American Samoa, Arizona, California, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Hawaii, Los Angeles County, Nevada, Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Noel Skaling, CMRP
Director, Supply Chain Management
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital

Noel Skaling has over 20 years of extensive experience managing and enhancing health care processes, operations/logistics, purchasing, and delivery. The majority of this extensive experience has been with Cottage Health. Initially as a buyer and progressed within the supply and procurement department to roles of increased responsibility and management. As director of supply chain, Mr. Skaling has responsibility for all aspects of the organization’s supply chain including accountability for centralized procurement, contract management, and negotiation, inventory management, receiving, storage, distribution. His position also provides leadership for meeting operational and fiscal objectives related to expenses and catalyzes process improvement and business reengineering activities related to all supply chain efforts. Also serves as Vice-Chair of the West Coast Purchasing Coalition (WCPC) aggregation group of 20 west coast hospitals.

Kristina Spurgeon
Emergency Manager
UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA
Ms. Spurgeon has over 17 years of health care experience currently serving in a Level 1 Trauma and Pediatric care specialty center.  Her primary focus is on overall system readiness, specifically on training people up with the tools they need to walk into any command center for any event, ready to go. Ms. Spurgeon holds a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Arizona, and a Master of Public Health from San Francisco State.

Mark Sutter, MD
Medical Operations Directorate (CW-1), Countering Weapons of Mass Destructions Office
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Dr. Mark Sutter is an Emergency Physician and Medical Toxicologist at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMD). In this capacity, he works to enhance coordination and collaboration between the national security, homeland security and medical disciplines. Further, Dr. Sutter specializes in chemical incident preparedness, including the recognition and analysis of current, emerging and forecasted WMD threats.

Kristen Tufvesson
Vice President, Finance & Controller
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital

Ms. Tufvesson joined Cottage Health in 1991. She has served in multiple roles during her 30 years, including Director of Financial Services and Director of Financial Planning & Decision Support. She was appointed to her current role in 2019. Ms. Tufvesson holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Minnesota State University in Mankato and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix.

Gabrielle Wilson, MBA
Director, Strategic Initiatives and Executive Affairs
UC San Diego Health

Gabrielle (Gabbie) Wilson is an experienced health care strategist who leads various planning activities at UC San Diego Health. In her role as director of strategic initiatives and executive affairs, Ms. Wilson is responsible for network and clinical program planning, as well as advancing health system strategic priorities. Over the last year, these priorities have included financial recovery related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sauda Yerabati, MPH
Emergency Preparedness Program Manager
California Department of Public Health, Center for Environmental Health
Sauda Yerabati leads the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Program at the Center for Environmental Health (CEH). CEH administers programs that protect and manage food, drug, medical devices, and radiation sources, regulate medical waste, and provide laboratory testing to assure safe drinking water, investigate food outbreaks and conduct diagnostic testing to determine human exposure to chemical threats.

Olugbadero Yerokun
Consultant, Core Business Operations
Deloitte

Olugbadero “Gbadero” Yerokun is a consultant, working in Core Business Operations with Deloitte. She has experience in public health practice including program coordination, immunization clinic coordination, emergency preparedness & response, disease surveillance, contact tracing, and environmental health. Before joining Deloitte, Gbadero developed and implemented federally funded community programs in the state of Nebraska. Gbadero has also worked as a molecular researcher studying HIV/AIDS and cancer.

For additional assistance contact CHA’s Education Department at education@calhospital.org.