About Us

VUMC Department of Emergency Preparedness provides day to day continuity in Emergency Management mitigation, operations, training, response and recovery. The department plays a key role in carrying out initiatives of the Hospital Preparedness Program which includes coordinating efforts within the medical center to strengthen infrastructure, facilities and training programs enabling Vanderbilt to respond quickly and effectively to emergency events.

Within the community, the department helps establish priorities among the potential hazards identified in the hazard vulnerability analysis, the medical center's role in relation to the community wide "all-hazards" comprehensive emergency management plan, and an incident command structure within the medical center that links with the community's command structure.

It is the role of the Department of Emergency Preparedness to ensure that through these initiatives Vanderbilt is prepared to work effectively with other agencies at local, regional, state and national levels and to respond to and manage domestic incidents regardless of the cause, size or complexity.

Response to incidents of national significance requires carefully planned and executed multi-jurisdictional coordination, communication and management. Understanding that federal and state resources can take at least 72 hours to respond to a disaster, response organizations within the Nashville Urban Areas Security Initiative (USAI) must be prepared to be self sustaining during that period and into recovery.

Vanderbilt's role at the national and community level

Vanderbilt University Medical Center is one of many hospitals that will respond to a crisis within the city, state, or nation. The state-wide disaster plan developed for Tennessee created six major regions. The Middle Tennessee Region is the largest in the state and Vanderbilt University Medical Center is the hub of this region and serves as the serves as the Middle TN Regional Medical Communication Center, Middle TN Regional Referral Center, Level 1 Trauma Center, Regional Burn Center, and Comprehensive Regional Pediatric Center.

Response partnerships include surrounding hospitals, Public Health, the Office of Emergency Management, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, and the police, fire, and public utilities departments.