Home Care Emergency Preparedness Exercise

Last week, the Department of Health (DOH) sent out an announcement informing home care providers that they will be conducting a major, statewide exercise, "Outbreak Unchecked" (OUREx), simulating the spread of an influenza pandemic across the state in which Certified Home Health Agencies (CHHAs) and Long Term Home Health Care Programs (LTHHCPs) will be participating. Home care agencies will not know the exact date of the exercise; this announcement provides all the information that agencies need to know in order to respond to this exercise. We have been informed that the exercise will take place in the next couple of weeks.

LeadingAge NY encourages CHHAs and LTHHCPs to stay tuned to their Health Commerce System (HCS) accounts. You will need to respond to the survey in the HCS HERDS application. DOH has stated that there will be a rapid turnaround time of no more than two hours. Please note: the benefit to your agency of being involved in this exercise is that it will qualify as your agency’s participation in a community level, full scale exercise, helping you to meet the exercise requirements of the new CMS Final Rule for Emergency Preparedness for Certified Home Health Agencies, for which the implementation date is Nov. 15, 2017.

Contact: Cheryl Udell, cudell@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8871