An Emergency Disaster Planning Consultant For West Virginia Region 6 / 7 Hospital

In day to day operations, uncertainties do occur. Henceforth it would be important to have a contingent and well detailed disaster preparedness plan and procedures. Healthcare systems, on a day to day basis, are faced with emergencies in form of disasters. As a result, majority of medical centers have well-structured exit plans in the event of a disaster occurring("Hospital Disaster Preparedness: Your Guide to Getting Started - Emergency Preparedness", 2011). However, this essay will aim at interviewing one of the top disaster preparedness staffat the Houston Methodist Hospital. In the interview, I will seek to identify the top three disasters that the Houston Methodist Hospital is prepared for. Similarly, in the interview, I would seek to identify the top lessons learnt from disaster preparedness at the hospitals.As it concludes it would summarize the findings with regards to the interview stated below. Below is an excerpt from the interview to answer the two aforementioned questions.

The national system responsible for the health and welfare of United States citizens is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “HHS is charged with regulating health care and overseeing the health status of Americans” (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2008, p. 56). A newer division, Office of Public Health Preparedness was added after September 11, 2011 to assist with preparing for bioterrorism at the state and national level (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2008). The U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) has eight agencies and is

Communication is essential between health care facilities and the CDC. For example, the facilities experience an emergency and follow certain quarantine protocols and alert the local public health department and the CDC. The CDC organizes secure transmission tactics to merge and notify public health officials at local, state, and federal levels. The institute deploys scientific and logistical proficiency, personnel, and vital medical resources to the area of the emergency. The CDC (2012) explains the implementation of the essential medical assets for protection of communities in the state of an emergency:

Many healthcare facilities now find themselves in an almost paradoxical predicament: inherently insecure and complex systems are required to be supported to maintain quality of healthcare, while security by mandate must be implemented and insured, (Mulch, 2004).#

Position 64001558 was assigned to the Evaluation and Analysis Unit within the BPR, and its duties and responsibilities are concentrated in non-nursing related areas of evaluation of public health and medical capabilities, development of risk and vulnerability assessments, and monitoring disaster preparedness tools such as the National Health Security Preparedness Index (NHSPI) and HSS Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Information Gateway (TRACEI). As a Government Operations Consultant III, position 64001558 will not provide nursing consultation to the Bureau and will not be involved in coordinating clinical resources for public health

Our healthcare system needs major restructuring. Major improvements needs to begin with "all health care organizations, professional groups, and private and public purchasers should adopt as their explicit purpose to continually reduce the burden of illness, injury, and disability, and to improve the health and functioning of the people of the United States", (Crossing the ……, 2001).

The emergency events caused by infectious disease, natural or anthropogenic causes with the potential to overwhelm or otherwise disrupt routine local capacities due to their timing, scale or unpredictability should be communicated properly and routinely which requires rapid knowledge transfer and uptake (Khan et al., 2017, p. 2).

In reviewing the Institute of Medicine crisis standards of care report, “the committee concludes that there is an urgent and clear need for a single national set of guidance protocols for use during generalized crisis events”. Six recommendations were thought to be the basis of the standards developed.

From the perspective of a health care administrator, I will identify, develop, and discuss strategic issues in planning a model by prioritizing issues facing a community when dealing with a natural disaster using the four MAPP assessments that align with the shared community mission. Lastly, I explain how you would promote collaborations among clinical professionals, explain methods that encourage physician leadership in patient care enhancement, and explain quality initiatives that reduce organizational risk and support patient safety.

The goal of the information disaster recovery processes and a robust contingency plan is to maintain the resiliency of General Hospital during any type of data disruption. Continuation of essential functions at all times requires the ability to adapt to changes and risks. The disaster recovery and contingency plans consider risk management and other security and emergency management activities that are

I also felt the individual with the potential limb amputation should have been placed on immediate instead of delayed. Even though they placed a tourniquet on the patient’s arm to control the hemorrhaging, the risk of him losing his limb should have been high priority. The delayed category is only for individuals with finger and toe amputations. The immediate category consists of life or limb. I also did not see any information about the staff conducting reassessments of the individuals to confirm their triage category. I do believe after reading this chapter that I could play an essential role in disaster triage. It is a very black and white system that is easily understandable. I enjoy working in a fast pace environment and helping those in need. However, I do believe training and constant refreshers are essential to obtaining and maintaining the learned

Emergency management faces many challenges in today’s modern society. In the years prior to 9/11 emergency management was primarily focused on natural disasters. That has since changed; we now face a diverse variety of risks and hazards on a constant basis. As we continue to grow in population current and newer have compounded into more problems that emergency planner must face and find solutions for.

Today’s technology has enabled communication to various parts of the world a 24-hour service, which means that, in any emergency response circumstance, there will always be a continuous claim for information (Haddow & Haddow, 2013).

The response to any emergency is considered to be very critical and therefore should be as efficient as possible. In the healthcare sector, responses to situations are counted by the seconds. From natural disasters to epidemics, the only chance left to respond to any of this occurrence could only be counted in seconds. That means life is either saved or lost in a matter of seconds. Putting in place certain responses to these unexpected occurrences, such as crises management communication plan, help save lives and arrest crises from aggravating. Failure to have crises management communication plan is considered by many commentators to be a crisis in itself. Accepted medical care is highly dependent on effective communication between healthcare providers and the patients; among healthcare providers and the outside world. The characteristics of crises make it necessary for prior planning and effective communication among stakeholders in the health sector (Klaene and Sanders, 2006; Ronen, 2006).

Over the past few decades, the significance, magnitude and consequence of risk management and communication have been brought before the world over and over again in a number of situations related to health, terrorist activities, natural disasters etc. When one turns the pages of history, it is rather obvious that lack of planning and absence of resources due to unpreparedness makes it difficult for the concerned authorities to manage an emergency or epidemic a problematic and traumatic task. The chaotic situations can turn out to be more nerve-racking and tense when preparations are not made before hand (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2002).