Our organizational history began in 2002 after the World Trade Center attack and subsequent anthrax attacks of 2001. Concerned about the low level of preparedness for bioterrorist attacks on the United States and our healthcare systems, the federal government implemented the National Bioterrorism Hospital Preparedness Program, directed federally by the Health Services and Resources Administration (HRSA).

The program provided funding to individual states to address gaps in hospital preparedness. The early program focused on building capacity, and emphasized activities such as decontamination, maintaining pharmaceutical caches, identifying hospital bed availability for surge, and bioterrorism disease diagnosis.

In response to the new bioterrorism grant program, numerous hospitals within the District 6 region of Indiana began meeting to formulate how they could better serve their district during disasters and began completing the required deliverables of hospitals to identify gaps in preparedness to receive funding. Funding was made available through the Indiana State Department of Health who served as the State awardee of the grant who provided both fiduciary and regulatory support.

In addition to identifying gaps through hospital preparedness assessments, the HPP program provided requirements for the hospitals to develop plans to improve networking between healthcare facilities, develop solutions to share resources and staff, develop strategies for tracking patients between facilities and across the State of Indiana.

Within the next year, these same hospitals developed a formal meeting schedule and designated representatives to the organization that had familiarity with bioterrorism, pharmaceutical management, security, and infectious disease prevention/diagnosis to better collaborate on best practices for the region. This same group incepted the organization and called it the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Planning group, ‘BT-6.’

In 2004, the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) shifted from a bioterrorism-focused program to an All-Hazards, capability-based approach. The introduction of the all-hazards approach required the addition of other outside partners, evolution amongst hospital representation to an all-hazards team approach, and compliance with the National Incident Management System.

In 2006, the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) was created federally to serve as the principal advisor on all matters related to public health and medical preparedness and response to public health emergencies. The Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) grant was transferred from the HRSA to ASPR to serve as the single point of coordination and integration for all public health.

In response to growing grant requirements, and the increase in corporate partnership, the BT-6 group officially incorporated their organization in April 2007, as the ‘District 6 Hospital Preparedness Planning Committee, Incorporated’. The corporation was administered by the membership through their Corporation By-Laws, and the annual election of corporation officers. The Corporation also became recognized as a 501c3 non-profit organization.