Volusia County Emergency Management Advances Collaboration and Preparedness Among Healthcare Partners

Posted On: September 15, 2026

Volusia County Emergency Management brought healthcare professionals and community partners together for its Healthcare Summit, creating an opportunity to strengthen relationships, exchange best practices, and discuss the evolving approaches to preparing healthcare facilities for emergencies and disasters.

The summit connected representatives from across the local healthcare community with emergency management and fire prevention professionals to share information, discuss previous disasters, and explore recent and potential changes that could affect emergency planning and preparedness. The gathering also provided participants an opportunity to learn from one another and enhance the partnerships that become especially important when a crisis affects the community.

Healthcare facilities play an important role in Volusia County's preparedness network, particularly because many serve residents who may require additional assistance before, during, and after an emergency. Planning for evacuation, sheltering in place, transportation, communications, staffing, continuity of care, and extended power outages helps facilities respond better when normal operations are disrupted.

Emergency Management works with healthcare facilities throughout the year as part of that preparedness effort. Among its responsibilities, the division reviews Comprehensive Emergency Management Plans, or CEMPs, submitted by certain healthcare facilities in accordance with state requirements. The plans establish how facilities will prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies while addressing the needs of the residents and patients they serve.

The review process also affords Emergency Management the ability to work directly with healthcare partners before an emergency occurs. By maintaining those relationships and understanding facilities' plans and capabilities, the division can help strengthen coordination across the community when resources, information, and assistance are needed during an emergency.

The Healthcare Summit builds on that year-round collaboration by bringing partners into the same room to discuss emerging issues, share experiences, and identify practices that can strengthen preparedness across the healthcare community.