West Palm Beach, Fl. – Anthrax scares, natural disasters, terrorism. Palm Beach County, and the nation, will be prepared to handle these and all other emergencies by following the model created by the Healthcare Emergency Response Coalition of Palm Beach County (HERC), a national model for crisis preparedness.

On August 13, 2007 HERC was recognized as a model community program by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Medical Association (AMA) for its Terrorism Injuries: Information, Dissemination and Exchange (TIIDE) program. The TIIDE project was established through a cooperative agreement in response to the urgent, ongoing need to develop, disseminate and exchange information about injuries from terrorism.  HERC, a countywide network of healthcare and emergency representatives who collaborate and respond to all-hazards related disasters, was one of five programs selected from thirteen throughout the nation.

“After 9/11 was followed by the nation’s first bioterrorism attack – the anthrax spores that killed a Lantana man- we knew something had to be done so healthcare and emergency response agencies could develop ways to work together most effectively,” said Tenna Wiles, executive director of the Palm Beach County Medical Society. “We are incredibly grateful to be honored and thank our HERC member organizations for making this possible.”

In 2001, with the support of Palm Healthcare Foundation, HERC was formed to develop and promote healthcare emergency preparedness and response standards to benefit all residents of Palm Beach County.  The Coalition is comprised of 22 members representing all Palm Beach County hospitals, Health Department, Health Care District, Medical Society, PBC Emergency Management, Fire Rescue, law enforcement, universities and other healthcare providers. With seed funding and ongoing support from Palm Healthcare Foundation, HERC has developed a series of hospital protocols on preparing for and responding to any mass-casualty incident, including those that result from both terrorist attacks and naturally occurring public health emergencies.

“HERC has set a national example for emergency preparedness,” said Suzette Wexner, President of Palm Healthcare Foundation. “Living in South Florida, with its potential for hurricanes, we know firsthand how important it is to move quickly during a crisis. HERC is critical in increasing preparedness for any crisis that may occur. We are proud to be a part of this revolutionary program.”

HERC is a program of Palm Beach County Medical Society Services, a not for profit organization dedicated to uniting physicians to serve the common interest of the profession, developing and maintaining the highest professional and ethical standards of the medical profession, advocating the interests of physicians and their patients and collaborating with others to improve the community’s health.  To learn more about HERC, please visit www.pbcms.org/herc.

About Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc.:
Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc. was chartered in 2001 as an independent community healthcare foundation. Believing that “Together We Can Do More,” the foundation’s mission is to transform healthcare challenges by bringing together the talents and resources of the community to create innovative solutions that deliver high-impact results. The Foundation’s funding priorities—access to healthcare, healthcare quality and safety, healthcare technology, healthcare policy and healthcare workforce—are designed to empower non-profit healthcare organizations and healthcare professionals to create programs and services that improve the quality of life for Palm Beach County’s underserved citizens.  Since 2001, the Foundation has distributed more than $20 million to over 70 non-profit organizations in Palm Beach County operating over 130 programs that met its funding goals.  To learn more about Palm Healthcare Foundation, please visit www.palmhealthcare.org.