Designated Coordinators Boost Preparedness Efforts at Public Hospitals(October 2007) Most public hospital facilities assign disaster preparedness functions to existing staff, who take on this role in addition to their other responsibilities. However, to stay atop the ever-growing demand for disaster readiness activities, a new trend is emerging in public hospitals: the creation of a full-time, dedicated staff position with the sole responsibility of coordinating, integrating, and assessing preparedness activities for the hospital. To gain insight into this emerging trend, NPHHI conducted a telephone survey of dedicated disaster planners at NAPH facilities. This Research Brief presents findings from that survey.