The Blue Ocean Approach in PNP Hospital FEMA Grant Management
In the wake of major natural disasters, private nonprofit hospitals (the “PNP Hospitals”) often turn to grants to support reconstruction. Whether rebuilding after a Hurricane, Earthquake or a Flooding Event, retrofitting an aging facility, or expanding critical care infrastructure, managing reconstruction grants effectively is essential, not just for FEMA, HUD CDBG, and DOH compliance, but also sustainability.
But how can a PNP Hospital ensure that grant-funded reconstruction aligns with day-to-day operations and long-term strategy? The answer lies in integrating grant management directly into hospital administrative planning.
Grants must be made part of the strategic planning. Grants are not extra funding; they should be a reflection of your PNP Hospital’s mission and vision statements for the long-term strategic plan. If the PNP Hospital’s goal is to expand emergency services, for example, a FEMA or HRSA grant for infrastructure can directly support that mission and vision. The Administrator needs to stay in the lane that a grant is not a financial windfall, rather planning becomes more proactive and mission driven. The Administrator must work very closely with the Grant Manager during strategic planning sessions and capital project reviews.
The common mistake is when the hospital lets a department work the planning in isolation. The result? Missed deadlines, compliance issues, and inefficiencies that can turn out to an irreparable cause. The solution is to keep a centralized grant management process by assigning a dedicated Manager Coordinator to be in constant collaboration with the Grant Manager to track budgets, compliance, and auditable reporting. This integration works wonders when keeping in the check list of strategic resolve finance, facilities, and legal teams.
When grants relate to high impact reconstruction or infrastructure investments, the integration of grants into capital and budget planning is a critical route for a successful outcome. This critical path includes but is not limited to annual budget, capital improvement plans (CIP), and facilities department workplans. Audits should not be a surprise too, when proper procurement is followed.
The Grant Management team reviews and if necessary, advises changes to the standard procedures and policies to assure that the reconstruction does not go off the rails. Construction contract oversight, workflow reporting and audit preparedness are the key to the success of PNP Hospitals. The PNP Hospitals require stricter rules to follow; specially if federal funds involved are under the 2 CFR 200 Unform Guidance.
Grants can be a powerful tool to fund reconstruction but only if they are fully integrated into the PNP Hospital’s administrative planning. ARC, with our Blue Ocean Strategy Approach, align unique and extraordinarily innovative Grant Management with our Funding Program strategy utilizing the FEMA Public Assistance Program (PA), or any other grant funding obligated funds as the collateral. We ensure a structured workflow of compliance, design-build and project close out empowering your team to rebuild stronger, faster, and smarter.
In today’s funding landscape, ARC’s Grant Management Blue Ocean Strategy Approach is not a back-office function; it’s leadership through application of strategic Task Orders.
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About the Author:
Hernando a graduate of UCONN with a postgraduate degree from the Insurance Institute of America, is a Court qualified storm damage assessment expert witness, former General Adjuster serving the National Flood Insurance Program is a dynamic leader with extensive experience in Commercial and Residential insurance property claims having served in both sides of the fence, natural disaster response, and strategic planning. With 42 years of expertise, he has guided organizations through high-stakes scenarios, including catastrophic events, by designing and executing effective response strategies that ensure business continuity and customer support. A co-author of ARC’s Blue Ocean Strategy implementation, Hernando has a proven ability to identify innovative solutions and untapped opportunities, driving operational excellence and sustainable growth from a unique and extraordinary perspective. He is passionate about fostering resilience through immediate critical emergency response solutions, mitigating risks, and delivering proactive storm hardening strategies that help organizations navigate the complexities of natural disaster recovery and beyond.