Each year, hundreds of health care facilities across the nation respond to tornado emergencies with limited warning of potentially catastrophic events. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there were nearly 1,200 confirmed tornado reports in 2023. While much of this activity occurs in the South and Midwest, often referred to as Tornado Alley, numerous tornadoes also impacted other locations across the country where tornadic activity is generally considered rare. Locations in California, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia were all affected by tornadoes in 2023. In one case, an EF-3 tornado caused significant damage along a 16-mile path in Lewis County, New York, the county’s strongest tornado on record.
Tag: emergencypreparedness
Minimizing the Risk of Workplace Violence
Workplace violence is recognized as a hazard in the health care industry and can affect workers, residents, and visitors. Workplace violence includes any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behaviors that occur at the workplace. Taking the following steps can help you minimize the risk for violence in the workplace. These steps are considered best practice and are NOT required.
Read more at https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Blog/Pages/Minimizing-the-Risk-of-Workplace-Violence.aspx
September is National Preparedness Month
AHCA/NCAL provides information and resources to help members respond to an emergency in a timely, organized, and effective manner. Find out what you need to know at https://www.ahcancal.org/Survey-Regulatory-Legal/Emergency-Preparedness/Pages/default.aspx
CMS Updates Guidance for Emergency Preparedness Regulations
Today, CMS posted a Quality, Safety, and Oversight Group (QSO) memo updating the State Operations Manual (SOM) Appendix Z that outlines emergency preparedness (EP) requirements. The SOM has been updated to reflect the revisions made within the 2019 final rule Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Regulatory Provisions to Promote Program Efficiency, Transparency, and Burden Reduction (CoPs) (CMS 3346-F). CMS has also added new guidance related to Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs) outbreaks, including best practices, lessons learned, and general recommendations for planning and preparedness.
This guidance is effective immediately. CMS is currently working on relevant updates to the Emergency Preparedness Basic Surveyor Training Course which will be available at a later date.
The changes are extensive, and members are encouraged to review the complete QSO memo in full. AHCA/NCAL has also provided a high-level summary of the memo.
Providers rethinking their emergency planning efforts.
Are You Prepared?
The easily recognized Scout Motto is “Be Prepared,” so is your facility? Even though no one wishes for disaster, it is imperative and required that every employee be ready for anything if their care facility is at risk. How long will it take you to get residents sheltered from a tornado? Are there security measures in place for gunfire? Are you ready for when every conceivable step in your plan is trumped by escalating disaster?
Download the eBook: ALWAYS SAFE, NEVER SORRY: Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Long-Term Care Facilities and find out.