Planning for an emergency
When acting as the administrator of an assisted living facility, it is imperative to operate by the rule of the 5 ‘P’s; Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. This could be no truer than when discussing emergency preparedness for disasters, especially here in Hawaii. We have had our fair share of natural disasters and must continue to be vigilant in keeping our seniors safe during these situations. Make sure you are completely aware of the following emergency care and disaster planning regulations provided by the Hawaii Office of Heath Care Assurance:
- 11-90-5 Emergency care and disaster planning.
(a) There shall be written policies and procedures to follow in an emergency which shall include provisions for the following:
(1) Arranging for rapid primary care provider attention or arranging for other available assistance;
(2) Transportation arrangements for hospitalization or other services which are appropriate;
(3) Maintenance of an appropriate first aid kit for emergency use; and
(4) Quarterly rehearsal of emergency evacuation plans for staff and residents to follow in case of fire, explosion, or other civil emergency occurring in or within the environs of the facility.
(b) The facility shall develop and maintain a written disaster preparedness plan to be followed in case of emergency or disaster. A copy of the plan shall be readily available at all times within the facility. Such plan shall include procedures for evacuating all individuals in the facility, which shall include the following:
(1) Provisions for evacuating residents with impaired mobility or cognitive impairments;
(2) Provisions for transporting all of the residents of the facility to a predetermined appropriate facility or facilities that will §11-90-7 accommodate all the residents of the facility in case of a disaster requiring evacuation of the facility; and
(3) A written transfer agreement, renewed every two years, with the appropriate facility or facilities for accommodating all of the residents of the facility in case of a disaster requiring evacuation of the facility.
Top Takeaways:
- (3) Maintenance of an appropriate first aid kit for emergency use;
Building a basic emergency supply kit is an extremely important factor in the quality of response to the emergency at hand. Because you will typically not know of the emergency in advance it is necessary to always have your supplies ready and located in many different locations. It will be easy for OHCA to see if you do not have a first aid kit on hand.
- (b) The facility shall develop and maintain a written disaster preparedness plan to be followed in case of emergency or disaster. A copy of the plan shall be readily available at all times within the facility. Such plan shall include procedures for evacuating all individuals in the facility, which shall include the following:
The emergency/disaster plan is a comprehensive document that covers all aspects of how the facility will respond to a potential disaster including topics such as evacuation, reserve food and water, fire response and many other areas. The plan should be covered with staff upon orientation and frequent drills of the elements of the included topics.
- (3) A written transfer agreement, renewed every two years, with the appropriate facility or facilities for accommodating all of the residents of the facility in case of a disaster requiring evacuation of the facility.
You must have an agreement with another facility in case there is a need to evacuate your residents due to an emergency. This written agreement must be renewed every two years and signed by the administrator at each respective facility.