Mission, Vision & Purpose

Our Mission

To unify Arizona’s healthcare and public health systems for the continual development and improvement of relationships, plans, and actions that meet the needs of the Whole Community before, during, and after emergencies.

Our Vision

A resilient public health and medical system that collaboratively, effectively, and equitably protects the lives of all Arizonans.

AzCHER Purpose Icon

Our Purpose

AzCHER is the healthcare coalition serving the state of Arizona.  Our purpose is two-fold: (1) to build resilience in the state’s healthcare delivery system so that it is prepared to respond to and recover from a large-scale emergency or disaster; and (2) to contribute to disaster response efforts by serving as a support to ESF-8 agencies.

The function of AzCHER is to develop effective streams of communication and processes for resource sharing among healthcare entities so that, in the event normal, day-to-day operations or standard operating procedures become disrupted or overwhelmed due to a large-scale emergency or disaster, participating organizations can cooperate and collaborate to continue delivering optimal healthcare services.

AzCHER’s purpose, function, and activities are determined and set forth in accordance with the 2017-2022 Health Care Preparedness and Response Capabilities as established by the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, or ASPR.  The four capabilities outlined are:

 

Foundation for Health Care and Medical Readiness

Health Care and Medical Response Coordination

Continuity of Health Care Service Delivery

Medical Surge