Staf ng Shortages Lead to Burnout

In Case of Emergency: Preparing Your Practice for a Disaster

As Florida residents, we’re accustomed to dealing with hurricanes and other natural disasters when it comes to our homes and families. However, as a healthcare provider, it’s also important to have a plan in place for your medical practice when a storm hits.

Hurricane season begins June 1 and lasts through November 30, with storms peaking in August and September.

On the East Central Coast, our hospitals are well prepared for any hurricane that may come our way. “By law we’re required to have various disaster preparedness plans in place,” said Kevin Noel, director of operations at Halifax Health. “All hospitals that are Joint Commission certified and governed by AHCA are to have these plans, submit them annually and keep them updated.”

To track where the storm is headed, the executive team at Halifax Health follows the

National Hurricane Center. If the hospital is in the cone of impact, there are preplanned purchases in place with local food and medical suppliers. “If it looks like it’s coming our way, we go ahead and execute those and they send those deliveries a day or two in advance, so we have plenty of supplies in the event that we do end up in a situation where we have to be on lockdown for a hurricane,” said Noel. The hospital also works closely with the Volusia County Emergency Management team to gauge how serious the storm is. “When they start opening public shelters and the winds are projected to be over 40 miles per hour and when they start to close the bridges to the barrier island, we implement our plan to bring staff into the hospital for the duration of the storm,” said Noel.

As the storm gets closer, the hospital starts having routine meetings every day with their management teams to make sure they have all the necessary resources to handle the hurricane for a few days. The hospital will also begin to discharge patients that are safe to return home to reduce the number of patients in the facility. This allows the hospital to have the appropriate amount of food, water and other supplies on-hand. They also have diesel generators that will run the facility if the power goes out. Halifax Health has fuel supply that can continuously run for seven to eight days without needing to resupply. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, The Joint Commission and AHCA make sure all hospitals have this level of preparation.

How Local Medical Practices Can Develop a Disaster Plan

For medical practices, implementing your own disaster plan will ensure your practice is kept safe in the event of a natural disaster such as a hurricane. Establish a disaster plan during a calm time before any threat has occurred. Go over the plan with your staff so everyone is well prepared in an emergency. Familiarize yourself with the Greater Daytona area’s evacuation routes, emergency phone numbers and shelters. If you are in a situation where you cannot leave your building, find an enclosed, windowless area in the center of the building away from any glass. If your building has interior stairwells consider taking shelter there.

Insurance Coverage Have adequate replacement insurance that covers fire, flooding and catastrophic damage from natural disasters such as hurricanes. Have an updated inventory of all your practice’s equipment in case anything gets damaged. Make sure your insurance policy also includes business interruption coverage in a sufficient amount. Employee Communication Communication with employees and staff is key when it comes to implementing an effective disaster plan. Notify staff as soon as possible about an office closure. To contact every employee, keep a list of everyone’s home phone numbers, cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Patient Communication Let your patients know the best way to get in touch with your office when a disaster occurs. Post an alternate telephone number and e-mail address on your website and social media platforms. Since many answering services are down during a major disaster, consider using VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). This phone service uses broadband Internet connectivity and is more likely to stay in service during a natural disaster.

Protect Your Property

Have plywood on-hand to protect windows and doors from dangerous debris caused by wind. Consider trimming branches from trees close to your building that could possibly fall and cause damage. Anchor

“Communication with employees and staff is key when it comes to implementing an effective disaster plan.”

Helpful Resources:

Brevard County Emergency Management www.brevardfl.gov/EmergencyManagement/Response Flagler County Emergency Management www.flaglercounty.gov/departments/emergency-services/emergency-management Volusia County Emergency Management www.volusia.org/services/public-protection/emergency-management large furniture such as bookshelves or file cabinets to the wall. Have a secure place to store office electronics, preferably in a high-up place where possible flood water can’t reach.

Keep Important Documents Safe

To avoid losing important information, keep electronic files whenever possible. It is especially important for medical practices to prevent loss of patient health data. Conduct regular data backups before a disaster occurs, not just when a threat like a hurricane is close. Back up all your electronic health records and other medical documents using cloud hosting services which will ensure your data is kept safe in an off-site secure location. Keep the contact information for your cloud hosting services handy if you need to contact them to recover your data. Make a copy of important business contacts such as lawyers, accountants, suppliers, banks, etc. and keep it in a safe secondary location.