Disaster Preparedness And Response Plan 1 Saint Leo University Hospital's Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan Sandra Chandler Saint Leo University HCM 550 Date: Disaster Preparedness And Response Plan 2 Introduction Once disasters strike, hospitals undertake a fundamental role in the healthcare system by offering vital medical care to the affected communities. Every incident, which contributes to either loss of infrastructure or even patient surge, like natural disasters, nuclear attacks or acts of terrorism, mostly require not only multijurisdictional but also multifunctional response, as well as, recovery effort that should encompass the offering of health care. In the absence of an appropriate emergency plan, any hospital facility can without doubt become overwhelmed in making an attempt to offer care in the course of a critical event. Inadequate resources, a surge within medical services demand, along with disruption of both communication, as well as, supply lines end up creating a momentous barrier to the offering of healthcare services (Niska & Shimizu, 2011). It is on that perspective that it has turned out as necessary for every hospital facility to develop a comprehensive disaster preparedness, as well as, response plan. The all-hazards of the main actions to be taken by the hospitals while responding to a disaster event will be outlined hereinafter. Disasters are disturbing realities and come in all shapes and sizes. Certain disasters like fire in a building may impact a small number of people but nonetheless put the health system under intense pressure. However disasters of higher order where large number of casualties occurs may however place a heavy and continuous demand on the health system. For certain disasters like floods, volcanic eruptions and hurricanes we usually get prior warning and hospitals can become active and put their disaster plan into action and remain prepared, but for natural disasters like tsunami and earth quakes there is usually no specific warning. In addition there are the man made disasters like state Disaster Preparedness And Response Plan 3 supported terrorism, rapid in crease in use of chemical and biological agents which also give rise to disasters and pose a threat of a mass casualty incident (MCI). Saint Leo University Hospital should therefore have appropriate emergency plan without which any health care facility will face tremendous problem in case of any critical event leading to mass casualty (Mehta, 2006). Resources are limited and with a surge in medical service demand coupled with disruption of communication and supply lines creating barriers it is of utmost importance that Saint Leo University Hospital facility develops comprehensive disaster preparedness and have a well drawn up response plan in place. Remaining functional and to continue providing the necessary health care services during and immediately after a disaster should be the prime objective of disaster preparedness. In order to fulfill the objective, the following initiatives are suggested to Saint Leo University Hospital Co-ordination and Management To be prepared and effectively respond to any disaster, Hospital Incidence Response System (HIRS) should be in place and should be ingrained into practice, updated periodically and tested through tabletop exercises and drills. The main objective of HIRS of Saint Leo University Hospital's will be to develop strategies, managing resources and planning and duly implementing the plan in a disaster situation. Planning Training and Drill Optimally preparing the staff, institutional resources, volunteers and structures of the hospital for effective performance in different disaster situations should be the main objective of Saint Leo University Hospital's Disaster Management Plan. The plan should be in writing and should be made available to all staff in the hospital. Command and Control Disaster Preparedness And Response Plan 4 It is of great essence to put in place a properly functioning command-and-control system in order to facilitate the effective response to any emergency within the hospital setting. This can be done by activating an ICG (Incident Command Group) or institute an ad hoc ICG, that is, a supervisory body whose responsibilities entail offering directions on matters concerning hospital-based management of emergencies. It has been established that an ICG is of great essence for effective development, as well as, management of both hospital-based systems, as well as, procedures needed for what can be considered as successful emergency response. One of the recommended actions is designating a hospital center of command within the Saint Leo University Hospital, that is, a certain location made ready for the convening and coordinating of hospital-wide emergency response activities. Such locations should also be equipped with effective and reliable communication avenues (Joint Commission, 2008). Information and Communication It should be noted that in the times of emergencies, it is necessary to have not only clear but also accurate, as well as, timely communication in order to be certain of effective collaboration, as well as, cooperation; informed decision making together with public awareness along with trust (Nelson et al., 2007). The recommended action is that the Saint Leo University Hospital management should appoint a qualified public information spokesperson who will be responsible of coordinating communication between the hospital and the general public, the media, as well as, health authorities. In addition, a space should be designated for press conferences, most preferably within the proximity of the command center. Disaster Preparedness And Response Plan 5 There should be a Hospital Disaster Management Committee (HDMC) and they should timely communicate information to ensure effective collaboration and cooperation and should also have an efficient system of alarm to create public awareness. Information Desk should be in place to provide information at regular intervals and to serve as a centre for volunteer mobilization. A list of casualties and their status should be displayed and periodically updated. Safety and Security Well-developed safety, as well as, security procedures are necessary for not only the hospital functions maintenance but also for incident response functions in the course of a disaster. In that regard, the Saint Leo University Hospital management will have to constitute a security team, which will be responsible of all matters related to safety within the facility. Part of the said security team mandate will be the prioritization of security needs by working in partnership with the ICG (Workgroup, 2000). Saint Leo University Hospital should have safety and security management protocols to describe the processes so as to reduce the risk of injuries to individuals and should be applicable to all personnel, physicians, and departments. The is no questioning the fact that a well developed safety and security procedures are absolutely necessary for not only the hospital's functioning but also for incidence response functions during a disaster. The Safety and Security Management activities shall be coordinated by the Hospital Disaster Management Committee (HDMC) in association with all concerned stakeholders, internal and external. Continuity of Essential Services Disaster Preparedness And Response Plan 6 St. Leo University Hospital should remember that a disaster does not put any halt on the day-to-day requirement for essential medical and surgical services like emergency care, urgent operations, maternal and child care which are carried out under normal circumstances. It should be kept in mind that the availability of essential services needs to continue in parallel with the activation of a hospital emergency response plan (Goverment of India, 2013). Human Resources It is essential to have an effective human resource management in order to make certain that there is adequate staff capacity in addition to continuity of operations in the course of the type of incidents, which contribute towards increased human resources demand. In order to manage the human resource effectively, it is recommended that to maintain a well updated hospital staff contact list. It is also advisable to estimate, as well as, monitor staff absenteeism continuously. Most of all, staffing requirements have to be prioritized and distribution of personnel carried out accordingly (Qureshi et al., 2005) . Logistics and Supply Management In most of the cases, hospitals find it challenging to ensure continuity of their suppliers along with deliveries in the times of disasters. This is mostly due to the failure to undertake before-hand the required contingency planning, as well as, response. In that regard, the Saint Leo University Hospital management will have to avoid falling in that category by developing and maintaining an up-to-date inventory of each equipment, supplies, inclusive of pharmaceuticals in addition to developing a shortage-alert mechanism (World Health Organization, 2011). Disaster Preparedness And Response Plan 7 Post-Disaster Recovery The post-disaster recovery planning is basically carried out during the inception of response activities. It has been established that once the recovery efforts are implemented in a prompt manner, it plays a significant role in the mitigation of the longterm impact of any disaster on the hospital operations. Therefore, it will be advisable for the Saint Leo University Hospital administration to recruit a not only highly qualified but also experienced disaster recovery officer whose responsibility will mainly be to oversee the hospital recovery operation. The Disaster Management team of St. Leo University Hospital should conduct the Post-disaster recovery planning at the onset of response activities. A disaster can have a long term impact on the hospital's operation therefore prompt implementation of recovery efforts can help mitigate a disaster's long-term impact. The Disaster Recovery Officer will be responsible for overseeing the hospital's recovery operations (World Health Organisation, 2011). It is also advised that the hospital establish a post-disaster employee recovery assistance program according to staff needs, and also show appropriate recognition of the services provided by staff, volunteers, external personnel and donors during disaster response and recovery. Involvement of Volunteers In the event of a pandemic or disaster situation, volunteers can be as asset. However they should be trained assigned and supervised within the management system. Designation of responsibility should be done through a volunteer coordination team. A volunteer may have the role in preparedness, response or recovery. Since the mobilization of volunteers are primarily done by the local government or non profit organizations, the St. Leo University Hospital should be in constant touch with them and include them in Disaster Preparedness And Response Plan drills to get them acquainted with a disaster situation. Participation of nursing and medical student as volunteers also can help to raise the knowledge of the respective college or campus (Kolleck, 2013). 8 Disaster Preparedness And Response Plan 9 References: Joint Commission. (2008). Standing Together: An Emergency Planning Guide for America's Communities. Nelson, C., Lurie, N., Wasserman, J., Zakowski, S., & Leuschner, K. J. (2007). Conceptualizing and defining public health emergency preparedness. National Emergency Training Center. Niska, R. W., & Shimizu, I. (2011). Hospital preparedness for emergency response: United States, 2008. Qureshi, K., Gershon, R. R., Sherman, M. F., Straub, T., Gebbie, E., McCollum, M., ... & Morse, S. S. (2005). Health care workers' ability and willingness to report to duty during catastrophic disasters. Journal of urban health, 82(3), 378-388. Workgroup, P. (2000). Biological and chemical terrorism: strategic plan for preparedness and response. MMWR, 49, 1-14. World Health Organization. (2011). Hospital Emergency Response Checklist: An All-hazards Tool for Hospital Administrators and Emergency Managers. PDF Document. Regional Office for Europe. Disaster and mass casualty management in a hospital: How well are we prepared? [Journal] / auth. Mehta Sanjay // Journal of Posrgraduate Medicine. - 2006. Disaster Preparedness for Health Care Facilities [Book Section] = Volunteers / auth. Kolleck Daniel. - [s.l.] : People Medical Publishing House USA, 2013. Disaster Preparedness And Response Plan 10 Hospital Emergency Checklost [Journal] / auth. World Health Organisation. - [s.l.] : WHO Regional Office Europe, 2011. NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES [Report] / auth. Goverment of India. 2013