Deloitte and Nonprofit Roundtable Host Real-World Disaster Exercise as Next Step in Developing Preparedness Plan for Greater Washing...( Former HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompso...),Health

Former HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson Addresses Executives Before Day-Long

Exercise

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Representatives from more than 50 Greater Washington nonprofit organizations meet today with disaster preparedness specialists from Deloitte & Touche USA LLP (Deloitte), the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington (Roundtable), the American Red Cross of the National Capital Area and The Center for Disability Special Needs and Preparedness, as they participate in a tabletop - or discussion-focused - disaster exercise.

The exercise uses a hypothetical but realistic pandemic flu outbreak in Greater Washington as the catalyst to test and refine Continuity of Operations (COOP) plans drafted by many of these same nonprofit executives during a June 8, 2007 workshop. That workshop kicked off a two-year initiative sponsored by Deloitte and hosted by the Roundtable. Today's session represents the first opportunity for participants to test their COOP plans.

Throughout the day, the group will analyze any gaps or overlaps between COOP plans, address communications challenges, and refine critical cooperation and teamwork efforts between organizations. The long-term goal is to ensure seamless execution in the event of an actual disaster.

The workshop was opened with an address by former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson. "So much attention has been paid in recent years to preventing a pandemic flu outbreak, and we're encouraged by that," said Thompson, the independent chairman of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. "But we still have a long way to go. That holds true for nonprofit organizations and for-profit corporations alike. Exercises like these are critical to preparing us on the ground, as well as in the executive suite."

In addition to Secretary Thompson, several high profile disaster preparedness experts and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials a
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