CT HCC September 2026 Newsletter

Strength in Preparedness: Building Resilient Health Care Organizations

Health care organizations play an essential role in supporting their communities before, during, and after emergencies. Whether responding to severe weather, public health emergencies, or other unexpected disruptions, the ability to continue providing essential services is critical. Building organizational resilience helps ensure that health care organizations can adapt to challenges, maintain operations, and recover effectively while continuing to meet the needs of the communities they serve.

September is National Preparedness Month, which makes it an ideal time for health care organizations to review their emergency plans, strengthen partnerships, and identify ways to improve readiness before an incident occurs. This month serves as a reminder that preparedness is an ongoing effort that requires participation from partners and organizations across the community.

Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP)

Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP) helps organizations prepare for disruptions while maintaining essential services. A strong continuity plan identifies critical functions, outlines staff responsibilities, and establishes procedures that allow operations to continue during emergencies.

Consider the following preparedness actions:

Review and update your organization’s COOP
Identify essential services and critical business functions
Verify emergency contact information and communication methods
Evaluate backup power, technology, communication, and data recovery systems
Review staffing plans and cross-train employees when possible

Regularly reviewing these plans helps organizations respond more effectively when unexpected events occur. Engaging staff from throughout the organization in COOP training and exercises also helps ensure that employees understand their roles, responsibilities, and procedures during an emergency. Familiarity with the plan before an incident occurs can help staff respond with greater confidence and support continuity of essential services.

Building Organizational Resilience

Resilience goes beyond emergency response. It also includes the ability to recover, learn from challenges, and continue serving patients after an incident. Organizations can strengthen resilience by evaluating preparedness efforts, updating emergency procedures, and identifying opportunities for improvement.

Preparedness activities may include participating in training exercises, reviewing after-action reports and working on corrective actions, strengthening partnerships with community organizations, and encouraging a culture of preparedness throughout the workplace. Small improvements made over time can strengthen an organization’s ability to respond to future emergencies.

Working Together

No organization responds to an emergency alone. Strong partnerships between health care organizations, emergency management, public health, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and other community agencies improve communication, coordination, and resource sharing during all phases of an emergency.

Health care organizations can strengthen these partnerships by engaging with their local health care coalition, attending coalition events, participating in preparedness activities, and taking part in training and exercises. These opportunities help organizations build relationships and better understand the resources and capabilities available throughout the community.

By working together before an emergency occurs, organizations can build stronger response capabilities and support a more effective recovery for the entire community. Strong partnerships established before an incident can make a significant difference in how effectively organizations respond and recover when an emergency occurs.

Welcome to CT HCC's New Executive Committee Members-at-Large

The CT HCC recently held elections for the four Executive Committee Member-at-Large positions. We are pleased to announce our new Members-at-Large: Jubenal (Jay) Gonzalez, Steven Huleatt, Jessica Kristy, and Patrick Turek! The four new Members-at-Large will serve on the CT HCC Executive Committee through June of 2028. We'd also like to thank all the candidates who were nominated and participated in this election. It was a very close and competitive voting process, featuring many strong candidates and significant voting representation from our membership. To learn more about our new Members-at-Large, please refer to their biographies shared below. Congratulations to Jubenal, Steven, Jessica, and Patrick, and welcome to the Executive Committee!

Jubenal (Jay) Gonzalez, MS, MEP, EMT-P
Manager, Business Continuity/Emergency Management, Connecticut Children's
Jubenal (Jay) Gonzalez is the Manager of Business Continuity and Emergency Preparedness at Connecticut Children’s. He specializes in healthcare emergency management, business continuity, disaster preparedness, and organizational resilience, leading strategic initiatives that enhance the hospital’s readiness to respond to emergencies, maintain critical operations, and support regulatory compliance. His expertise includes emergency operations planning, evacuation and reunification planning, incident management, training and exercises, and continuity program development.

Steven Huleatt, MPH, RS
PHEP Regional Contract Coordinator/MMRS Program Manager, Capitol Region Council of Governments
Mr. Huleatt currently serves the Capitol Region Council of Governments as the Connecticut Division of Emergency Managements and Homeland Security Region 3 Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Grant Manager and as the Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) Project Manager. Mr. Huleatt is the manager for Public Health Practice Strategies, LLC. Additionally, Mr. Huleatt serves on the Capitol Region Emergency Planning Committee (CREPC) responsible for the Connecticut Region 3 Emergency Support Plan (RESP) and Associated Annexes and as a Region 3 ESF-8 (Health and Medical) Duty Officer. Mr. Huleatt is the manager for Public Health Practice Strategies, LLC. Prior to joining the Capitol Region Council of Governments Mr. Huleatt was the Director of Health for the West Hartford-Bloomfield Health District for 25 years. As an active member in NACCHO Mr. Huleatt served on the Board and Executive Committees He is a past Board Member of the Connecticut Health Foundation. Currently He serves on the Board Windsor Volunteer Ambulance. Mr. Huleatt received his undergraduate education at Clark University in Worcester, MA and his graduate education of a Master of Public Health degree and graduate Certificates in Business Mastery and in Local Government Management at the University of Connecticut.

Jessica Kristy, MPH
Director of Health and Naugatuck Valley Medical Reserve Corps Director, Naugatuck Valley Health District; Region 5 ESF-8 Chair; Region 5 Medical Reserve Corps Coordinator; Emergency Preparedness Committee Chair, Connecticut Association of Directors of Health
Jessica Kristy, MPH is the Director of Health of the nationally accredited Naugatuck Valley Health District, was selected to the de Beaumont Foundation's 40 under 40 in Public Health Class of 2023 and completed the 2026 Public Health Leadership Essentials Certificate Program through Cornell University. A subject matter expert in emergency preparedness and response, she serves multiple local, regional, and statewide leadership roles on various initiatives such as an Executive Committee member of the CT Health Care Coalition, on the CT Association of Directors of Health Board of Directors, Co-Chair of DEMHS Region 5 ESF #8, Region 5 MRC Lead, and is the Connecticut representative on the NACCHO Preparedness Policy Advisory Group. She teaches public health and healthcare emergency management as an Adjunct Professor for the University of Bridgeport and Goodwin University combined MPH program where she also serves on the Faculty Advisory Board. She earned her MPH in Environmental Health Sciences and a graduate certificate in Emergency Preparedness from New York Medical College and her BS in Safety Studies with a minor in Criminal Justice from Keene State College.

Patrick Turek, MPA
Senior System Director of Emergency Management, Hartford HealthCare
Patrick Turek, MPA, serves as Hartford HealthCare’s (HHC) Senior System Director of Emergency Management, where it’s his mission to create an organization that is empowered to be safer and more prepared for the unthinkable. Patrick focuses his work on coordinating and integrating Hartford HealthCare’s safety practices. Patrick leads efforts to standardize HHC’s Emergency Management and safety practice across all business units including ambulatory practices, acute care hospitals, and post-acute settings. Patrick is an active member in regional Emergency Support Function #8s, the Connecticut Healthcare Coalition including a Member at Large and Connecticut Hospital Association’s Emergency Management Director group. He holds a Bachelor of Art in Criminology for Central Connecticut State University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Connecticut.

Save the Date: CT HCC October Bimonthly Meeting

Please save the date for our next CT HCC Bimonthly meeting, which will be held on Wednesday, October 14, from 11:30-1:30 PM virtually via Zoom. Calendar invites have been sent out to all coalition members. To be added to the calendar invite, please email coordinator@cthcc.org.

Join a CT HCC Workgroup

The CT HCC workgroups have begun planning efforts, with many resuming activities this month after a brief summer hiatus. If you are interested in participating in coalition planning efforts and/or learning more about health care coalition preparedness, consider joining one of the following workgroups:

Functional Exercise Planning Workgroup: Designs, plans, and evaluates exercises; promotes exercise participation and improvement; strengthens capabilities through real-world scenarios.
Information Sharing Workgroup: Enhances information sharing and situational awareness; identifies and addresses communication gaps; supports technology solutions and interoperability.
Planning Workgroup: Leads development and maintenance of coalition plans and annexes; promotes planning initiatives by ensuring plan cohesion; identifies subject matter experts for hazard specific planning.
Training & Education Workgroup: Identifies training needs across the coalition; coordinates and promotes training opportunities and resources; supports continuing education and workforce development.

If you are interested in being a part of any of these workgroups, please email our team at coordinator@cthcc.org to be added to upcoming calendar invites.

Sign-Up for a Member Portal Account

CT HCC's new website launched earlier this summer and includes new features that will allow members to more easily navigate the site. The website also features access to all of the coalition plans, events, and materials that we have to offer. In addition, members now have more ability to add their own trainings and events directly to the CT HCC calendar on their own time.

Are you a CT HCC Member and still need to sign up for a Member Portal account?

The Member Portal allows coalition members exclusive access to important coalition documents, reports, plans, guidance, and the member directory.

Request an Account

NEMTEC New England Preparedness Summit: Navigating the Storms Together

The Northeast Emergency Management Training and Education Center (NEMTEC) is sponsoring the New England Preparedness Summit: Navigating the Storms Together on September 9-10, 2026 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Hosted by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), the Summit will provide an opportunity for participants to learn and network with local, state, and federal practitioners from a variety of disciplines, including emergency management, fire services, law enforcement, public health, communications, volunteer organizations, and business and industry. The goals of this Summit are to strengthen partnerships, share knowledge, and enhance preparedness capabilities across the region. Limited seats are still available.

Learn More and Register Here

CDC Train Training Series

See below for several web-based training courses or series being offered by CDC Train, all of which offer continuing education credits. The courses/trainings span a variety of topics including opioid overdose risk factors, pain management, and environmental assessment in an isolated food service setting.

On-Demand Course: Application of the National Incident Management System (NIMS)

A picture of a man in a phone screen participating in virtual learning with books and web pages around him. The image reads "Application of the National Incident Management System (NIMS): Complete Guide to IS 100, 200, & 700"

Unlock the key to mastering the essential elements of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) courses with our comprehensive on-demand program. This meticulously crafted course covers the critical components of IS 100, 200, 700, and 800, offering a deep dive into the core concepts and practical applications of emergency management as outlined by FEMA.

Course Highlights:

IS 100, 200, 700 & 800 Course Content: Gain a practical understanding of key incident management elements.
Expert Instruction: Benefit from the expertise of industry professionals with years of experience in healthcare incident management.
Course Certification: Receive a prestigious certificate upon course completion, showcasing your commitment to excellence in incident management.

Who Should Enroll: This course is ideal for healthcare emergency management professionals, administrators, and incident response team members who are looking to learn the foundations of incident management.