Public Health Emergency Declared for Florida, Alabama After Hurricane Isaias

WASHINGTON—The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has declared public health emergencies in Florida and Alabama as a result of Hurricane Isaias.

The determinations follow earlier emergency declarations for both states and allow HHS to authorize temporary waivers and modifications of certain requirements to help the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) support healthcare providers and suppliers serving people enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in the covered emergency areas. These actions and flexibilities are retroactive to October 6 in the state of Florida and October 7 in the state of Alabama.      

“When a storm disrupts someone’s ability to get care, the need is immediate and personal,” said Sean Kaufman, HHS Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR). “I want the people affected by Hurricane Isaias to know that we are here to help. Our federal teams worked alongside state and local partners to understand what communities needed and to support the healthcare services they depend on.”

Prior to landfall, ASPR pre-positioned regional staff in areas at risk from the storm to monitor the impacts on public health and healthcare systems and provide technical assistance in anticipation of state requests. Healthcare System Assessment Teams also deployed to evaluate the storm’s impact on healthcare facilities. 

In addition, ASPR shared HHS emPOWER datasets with states in the storm’s path. These data can help responders identify, by geographic area, the number of Medicare beneficiaries relying on electricity-dependent medical equipment or certain essential healthcare services, including facility-based dialysis and home healthcare.