LEGAL PREPAREDNESS DURING PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES

CRA, Inc. supported the Commonwealth of Virginia's Office of the Attorney General's Second Annual 'Legal Preparedness During Public Health Emergencies' Tabletop Exercise on September 26, 2007. The exercise was built on the lessons learned and issues identified during last year's exercise as supported by CRA. In additiion, this year's tabletop was designed to complement the Governor's Cabinet Exercise. Using realistic, multimedia-driven scenarios, CRA's facilitators brought to life the issues associated with a public health emergency, a hurricane disaster, and the Continuity of Operations Plan requirements as mandated in Virginia's Executive Order 44.

The Drill was a huge success. A tabletop exercise with attorneys and agency leaders is a big challenge. You and your team did a wonderful job. The materials were phenomenal, the participants were comfortable in their surroundings, and you did a great job as facilitator. Supervising Assistant Attorney General Marla Decker, 2006

CRA is well-placed in a field where few contracting companies include public health expertise. CRA's public health team provides exercises which span the spectrum from Pandemics involving Influenza to the release of Anthrax and other bioterrorist agents. CRA-USA’s staff is expert in the field of Emergency Management and well-versed in the Department of Homeland Security's HSEEP procedures.  This experience and knowledge informs the planning of all exercises and is a strong foundation on which to build an effective, homeland security exercise program.

CRA provides the best exercise design and support. The participants in these Legal Preparedness exercises gained an understanding of the issues and challenges that the legal, medical, public safety, and private sector communities could face. The TTXs focused on the overall response and decision-making process involving issues such as the legal ramifications and liability issues resulting from identified concerns including enforced isolation and quarantine.

The CRA team was universally commended… Cathie Hutchins, Assistant Attorney General 2007

The event was unique given the number of agencies present together with their counsel or their legal representatives. For an emergency management event, the presence of the legal sector is uncommon. Given that the decisions made in an emergency event involve many legal issues, not the least being liability, then the education and integration of the legal sector is a logical development which addresses a need. Currently, the Legal sector is not contacted in an emergency nor is it reflected in the Incident Command structure or the Emergency Operations Center functions. The Legal Preparedness During Public Health Emergency exercises supported by CRA works to close that gap in emergency management.
 

from letter dated October 10, 2007

Dear Mr. Mackin:

On behalf of Virginia Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell, I want to commend the CRA, Inc. team who facilitated the Second Annual Legal Exercise on September 26, 2007 in Richmond, Virginia. This event marked the second time that the office of the Attorney General partnered with the Office of Commonwealth Preparedness, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and CRA, Inc. to host a tabletop exercise focusing on the legal issues that state agencies are likely to face when responding to an emergency situation...

I cannot say enough positive things about the professionalism and thoroughness of the work produced by CRA. …

Following the exercise, many of my colleagues made a point of telling me how much they enjoyed the event because it provided the right setting for state agencies and agency counsel to identify and examine the multitude of legal issues that a state agency will face during a disaster.

The CRA team was universally commended for providing excellent materials and for facilitating the exercise to allow for the open exchange of ideas and viewpoints.

It was my pleasure to work with such a fine team of professionals.

Cathie F. Hutchins
Assistant Attorney General

 

 

I cannot say enough positive things about the professionalism and thoroughness of the work produced by CRA. … Cathie Hutchins, Assistant Attorney General 2007 Every service you provided was excellent.  The Office of the Attorney General, 2006