In the event of a major emergency, hospitals themselves have two primary missions: providing patient care and protecting their staff and facilities (American Hospital Assoc). Hospitals and other healthcare facilities are expected to respond in a coordinated manner because hospitals play an important role in disaster response due to their treatment role. Healthcare facilities are responsible for preventing and reducing the spread of disease as well as injuries (Heide). Hospital preparedness has become a priority for local, state, and federal governments seeking to address emergencies or disasters affecting public health. The many legal challenges that the healthcare sector faces during a declared state of emergency are an integral part of hospital emergency preparedness (Hodge et al). Laws at all levels of government define what constitutes a state of emergency, disaster, or public health emergency. They authorize emergency actions on how to improve individual and community health. They guide healthcare facilities and workers on how to modify their practices in the event of an emergency (Hodge et al). The Department of Homeland Security has dedicated significant expertise and resources to support hospital emergency preparedness. Homeland Security's National Incident Management System (NIMS) requires hospitals receiving funds to adopt standards consistent with their emergency plan. The Pandemic and All Hazards Act of 2006 authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to withhold emergency preparedness funds from hospitals that do not meet certain benchmark requirements. The Emergency Services Act authorizes the Governor, during a "state of emergency", to suspend any regulatory law or any law prescribing the procedure for the conduct of state affairs, o...... middle of paper...... Financial Financial Circumstances, Sean, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell and Berkowitz PC Birmingham. Disaster Preparedness: Legal Issues Facing Hospitals in the Post-Katrina Environment. November 2006. Vol 3. Hodge JD, LLM, James, Garcia JD, Andrea, Anderson JD, Evan and Kaufman, Torrey. Emergency legal preparation for hospitals and healthcare personnel. Homeland Security. www.homelandsecurity.com Accessed November 2011. Joint Advisory Committee on Communications Capabilities of Emergency Medical and Public Health Care Facilities. Report to Congress February 2008Rubin, Jeffrey. 2004. Recurring Hospital Traps and Response. Sauer MS, Lauren, McCarthy ScD, Melissa, Knebel RN, Ann and Brewster BS, Peter. 2009. Major Influences on Hospital Emergency Management and Disaster Preparednesswww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bookswww.jointcommission.org