Virginia is continually threatened by emergency and disaster situations. The Near Southwest Preparedness Alliance (NSPA) was developed under the auspices of the Western Virginia EMS Council pursuant to a “Memorandum of Understanding” between the Virginia Department of Health, the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association and the NSPA.

NSPA is organized to facilitate the development of a regional healthcare emergency response system, as well as support the development of a statewide healthcare emergency response system. Regional hospital preparedness and coordination will foster collaborative planning efforts between the several medical care facilities and local emergency response agencies in the established geographically and demographically diverse region.

The “Near Southwest” region is defined as:

• 4th Planning District (New River area): includes Floyd, Giles, Montgomery and Pulaski Counties and the City of Radford
• 5th Planning District (Roanoke and Alleghany area): Alleghany, Botetourt, Craig and Roanoke Counties as well as the Cities of Clifton Forge, Covington, Roanoke and Salem.
• 11^th Planning District: includes Amherst, Appomatox, Bedford, and Campbell Counties; the cities of Lynchburg and Bedford; and the towns of Altivista, Amherst, Appomatox, and Brookneal.
• 12th Planning District (Piedmont area): includes Franklin, Henry, Patrick and Pittsylvania Counties and the Cities of Danville and Martinsville

The region covers an area of 7,798 square miles* and has a population of 910,900^#. There are 25 localities and 16 hospitals^ in the region.

* U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2000Census of Population & Housing.

# Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service: July 2002 estimates.

^ AHA database 2003: Acute Care General Hospitals.