Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey proposed an overhaul of the state’s ability to communicate in an emergency and discussed strategies for quick recovery efforts at a media roundtable at the Marriott Hotel in Cambridge on Friday morning.

Hosted by the Avaya Corporation, which supports the proposed sharing of privately owned telecommunications equipment, the roundtable sought to draw the private and public sectors of the communication industry closer together to build a better communication system.

With this strengthened alliance, Healey said she hopes rescuers will be able to allocate resources to regions during a crisis more efficiently.

To improve communication, Healey suggested the creation of a “fusion center” where local, regional and federal agencies can come together to share information. However, the effectiveness of the center relies upon a functional communications system following a natural disaster or terrorist attack.

Ken McGee, vice president of the Gartner group and moderator for the discussion, asked Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s media lab Andrew Lippman if an infrastructure able to withstand such a crisis is possible.

“Empowering communication systems will improve the ability to withstand disasters,” Lippman said.

Lippman emphasized the importance of reliable communication between police, medical facilities, radio and television, insurance companies and government agencies during an emergency.

“We must build a system to guarantee that there are no busy signals for call centers, and we can accomplish this,” Lippman said.

Healey said that citizens cannot fully rely on the federal government in these situations.

Healey also proposed a medical reserve corps that enables qualified retired doctors, nurses and medical professionals to help in relief efforts by reporting to designated locations in the event of a disaster.

“A lot of rules restrict national response not aiding people in need,” said panelist Jim Flyzik, president of The Flyzik Group, a consulting firm that works to further relationships between business and the government.

Tom Lesica, senior vice president for global technology and operations for Avaya, praised the American Red Cross for effectively facilitating communication by using private companies’ communication systems following Hurricane Katrina.

“[During the aftermath of Katrina], doing the right thing became more important than following the right policy,” Lesica said.

Healey also cited the prospect of an avian flu epidemic in the United States, saying the flu is not a threat as long an effective relief plan is in place.

Healey talked of the possibility of a quarantine situation, which would not allow residents to leave their homes for up to 10 weeks. She also noted her concern for delivering food to needy families, continuing school for children in grade school and formulating a plan so parents can work out of their homes.

Steve Cooper, chief information officer with the American Red Cross, said that improving communications would help the organization provide aid faster in an emergency.

“We will be better able to respond on any scale to the next one, and there will be no lack of human response,” he said.