As Houston’s hospitals continue to struggle with operational challenges in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, a command center is helping with disaster response coordination to support the resource needs of these facilities, according to an article on the Health Data Management website.
Established by the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council, the mission of the Catastrophic Medical Operations Center (CMOC) is to ensure the continuity of healthcare infrastructure and that the care needs of the region are being met.
A staff of about 10 people work together with workstations and large screens displaying real-time data on medical infrastructure in the area.
The center helps coordinate hospital closures, patient evacuations, placement and transport to healthcare facilities based on capacity, as well as patient tracking and reporting. In addition, the CMOC assists hospitals with resource requests and guidance during natural disasters.