Joaquin Reminds Us to be Prepared
We are fortunate that the path of Hurricane Joaquin changed course and did not impact New York. However, the advance storm warnings and prepartions are a good reminder of all of the standard procedures providers should implement in advance of an emergency situation. Planning, preparation and practice are the key factors in managing any emergency. For those providers overseen by the Department of Health (DOH), the following specific recommendations are adapted from a DOH communication issued in advance of Hurricane Joaquin.
First and foremost, review your evacuation plans and emergency procedures. Make sure staff on all shifts are familiar with the plans. Regular review will help ensure that you are prepared in the event of an emergency, especially in cases where ther is staff turnover.
DOH urges you to keep your Health Commerce System (HCS) account active, with key roles populated and accurate. The HCS is used to broadcast communications in an emergency, and thus the proper contact information is critical. This contact information is the main data source used by DOH for sending emergency and informational notifications to providers, and conducting one on one communications and discussions where needed. If this data is not up to date, providers may not receive key information. All business and emergency contact information for key administrators and roles in the HCS Communications Directory must be updated and accurate.
In the event that evacuation of hospitals, nursing homes or adult care facilities becomes necessary, DOH reminds facilities that the eFINDS system will be used to track the movement of all patients and residents between sending (evacuating) and receiving facilities. All facilities should ensure that they know where their eFINDS supplies, i.e., barcode scanners, wrist bands, and paper tracking logs are stored, and that staff who have been trained on the use of the system are available to perform this function. As a refresher, click here to view a quick one page reference to eFINDs and here for a more in-depth overview of the system. Questions regarding eFINDS should be sent to efinds@health.ny.gov.
eFINDS roles on the HCS should also be populated and accurate, including the eFINDS Data Reporting Administrator and the eFINDS Data Reporter.
LeadingAge New York is pleased to report that we will be working with our State partners to get additional eFINDS training out to providers in 2016, funded by a Federal preparedness grant. In additional, we will continue to work with our local and State partners to support the provider community in responding to any emergency, as we did with this most recent close call. Fortunately, this time, it was just a drill.
Contact: Diane Darbyshire, ddarbyshire@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8828