Public Health Emergency Preparedness

Chapter 1: Getting Started

What Is EPRI?

The Emergency Preparedness Resource Inventory—or EPRI, pronounced "Eh-pree"—is a database and communication system designed to help cities, counties, or states (1) compile an inventory of resources needed to respond to emergencies and (2) determine what resources are available during an emergency.

EPRI includes features for:

• Entering and updating information about resources that are housed at different locations in your jurisdiction.
• Producing a variety of reports indicating which organizations have particular resources or where particular resources are located.
• Requesting information on what types of resources are currently available to help respond to an emergency.
• Indicating what resources you can provide to others during an emergency.

EPRI is a Web-based system: you will need a high-speed Internet connection and a Web browser to use EPRI.

Funding and leadership to support EPRI were provided by the Hospital Preparedness Program in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality contract with Abt Associates.

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Registration Process

Each jurisdiction using EPRI has an EPRI Administrator, who is responsible for setting up and operating EPRI. To become an EPRI user, contact the EPRI Administrator and request access to EPRI. If your request is approved, you will be provided with:

• The EPRI Web site address.
• Your EPRI login and password.
• Your EPRI "user type" (go to "What type of EPRI user are you?").

When you receive this information, go to the EPRI Web site and confirm that you are able to log in to EPRI.

Tip Keep the following information handy: EPRI Administrator contact information: Name: __________________________________ Phone: _________________________________ E-mail: _________________________________ EPRI Web address (login page): _________ EPRI login and password: Login: _________________________________ Password: ______________________________

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What Type of EPRI User Are You?

Your EPRI Administrator will assign you one of the following user types:

• Data Manager
• Data Entry
• Reports and Emergency Requests
• Reports Only

Figure 1.1 below indicates the functions available to each of these user types.

Figure 1.1: EPRI User Roles and Associated Functions

EPRI Function	EPRI User Roles
	Administrator	Data Manager	Data Entry	Reports and Emergency Requests Only	Reports Only
Set Up and Customize EPRI (go to the Administrator's Guide)	Yes	No	No	No	No
Enter/Edit Inventory Data (go to Chapter 2.1)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
E-mail Locations (go to Chapter 2.2)	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Run Inventory Reports (go to Chapter 2.3)	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Create Emergency Requests (go to Chapter 3.1)	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Respond to an Emergency Request (go to Chapter 3.2)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No

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