Emergency Preparedness for Every Emergency

Effective Provider Emergency Planning

Sound, timely planning provides the foundation for effective emergency management.  The response to an emergency can impact an entire community and can involve numerous medical and public health entities, including healthcare systems, facilities, public health departments, emergency medical services, medical laboratories, individual health practitioners, and medical support services.

A coordinated response is essential.  Comprehensive emergency management includes the following phases:

Hazard Identification: Facilities should make every effort to include any potential hazards that could affect the facility directly and indirectly for the particular area it is located.  Indirect hazards could affect the community but not the facility and as a result interrupt necessary utilities, supplies or staffing.

Hazard Mitigation: Hazard mitigation is activities taken to eliminate or reduce the probability of the event, or reduce its severity or consequences, either prior to or following a disaster or emergency.

The emergency plan should include mitigation processes for both residents and staff.  Mitigation details should address care for the facility residents, and how the facility will educate staff in protecting themselves in the likelihood of an emergency.  Comprehensive hazard mitigation efforts, including staff education, will aid in reducing staffs' vulnerability to potential hazards.  These activities precede any imminent or post-impact timeframe, and are considered part of the response.

Preparedness: Preparedness includes developing a plan to address how the facility will meet the needs of the individuals they serve if essential services breakdown as a result of a disaster.  It will be the product of a review of the basic facility information, the hazard analysis, and an analysis of the facility's ability to continue providing care and services during an emergency.  It also includes training staff on their role in the emergency plan, testing the plan and revising the plan as needed.

Response Activities immediately before (for an impending threat), during and after a hazard impact to address the immediate and short-term effects of the emergency.

Recovery  Activities and programs implemented during and after response that are designed to return the facility to its usual state or a "new normal.

Click on the Downloads section below to access additional emergency planning information, including a Health Care Provider Emergency Planning Checklist.  The checklist was developed with the input and recommendations of the S&C Emergency Preparedness Stakeholder Workgroup and other partners, including:

• Florida Long-Term Care Ombudsman
• National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center
• HHS Administration on Aging (AoA)
• HHS U.S. Office of Pubic Health Emergency Preparedness (OPHEP)
• HHS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
• National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR)
  

Downloads
S&C Emergency Preparedness Checklist for Effective Health Care Facility Planning (PDF, 74 KB) S&C Emergency Preparedness Checklist for Persons in LTC Facilities, Family, Friends, and Ombudsmen (PDF, 80 KB) S&C Emergency Preparedness Checklist for Persons with Medical Needs Living at Home, Family, Friends, Guardians, and Caregivers (PDF, 119 KB)
Related Links Inside CMS
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Related Links Outside CMS
Office for Civil Rights, HIPAA Privacy Rule: Disclosures for Emergency Preparedness Decision Tool

Page Last Modified: 06/26/2008 5:43:28 PM
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