Emergency Operations Plan University Health Services

Establishment of a chain of command in a situation such as a severe storm or other disaster is essential. Because there may be a disruption to commonly used manners of communication, such as television, telephones, and the internet, it is important to have a clear outline of where and to whom to report, how to find answers, and who will perform necessary tasks. In the simulation, the Public Health Department is both a link in the larger, county-wide chain of command and has its own hierarchy structure. Within the scope of the county, the Public Health Department reports to the Medical/Health Branch Director who is directly under the Operations Chief. The Operations Chief, who is in charge of managing and monitoring the actions of each department, reports to the Emergency Operations Commander. The Emergency Operations commander is the highest link in the chain, not only overseeing the operations of the various governmental departments, but also the officers in charge of Safety, Public Information, and Legal.

Event Maps and this document will be placed throughout the event area at various locations.

Respondent; Thank you very much (name of student) Welcome to Houston Methodist Hospital, department of disaster mitigation and preparedness.

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:

Editor’s Note: This Chapter is the continuation of an adaptation of a state plan for disaster preparation and response. In total, the original chapter comprises Chapters 1, 14, 16-18.

The CHD Preparedness and Support Unit in the Bureau of Preparedness and Response (BPR) shares the Florida Department of Health (DOH) responsibility for ensuring the state’s public health and health care systems are prepared to respond to disasters and other public health emergencies. Therefore, the Unit is responsible for promoting and supporting preparedness activities at the local level by developing, evaluating and providing technical assistance for accomplishing the CHD Expectations; serving as liaison and point of contact for questions, concerns and needs related to CHD Preparedness, and by seeking and allocating funds locally according to cooperative agreements and statutory authority.

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

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton is a 255-bed hospital featuring more than forty three specialties, the hospital is located adjacent to a major highway which is used to transport hazardous materials, commuters and cargo. Texas Health Presbyterian Denton is a suburb of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, which has an estimated population of seven million residents and covers a geographical area of approximately 9,000 square miles. The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and the fourth largest in the United States. The purpose of this paper will be to evaluate the Texas Health Presbyterian Denton’s Emergency Operation’s Plan to determine if it address a comprehensive response to threats, emergencies and disasters while safeguarding the welfare of its citizens.

Both had a section in the handbook for emergency procedures that included fire drills, tornadoes, procedures for death, suicide, and major student disruptions/response to violent incidents, and crisis information

"The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) sponsors Emergency Management for Schools trainings to provide support to school staff and administrators interested in enhancing their preparedness efforts. Emphasis for the Emergency Management for Schools trainings is placed on emergency management plan development within the framework of the four phases of emergency management: Prevention-Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery" (U.S. Department of Education).

At the state level 13 of the 15 Emergency Support Functions (ESF) were activated and worked out of the state operations center, which allowed us to share information quickly, as well as coordinate response activities. At the state level the WOHS deputy director provided the leadership and we worked through and with the Operations Section Chief.” (R. Sherard, personal communication, June 10,

The purpose of the Emergency Preparedness Plan is to save lives and prevent injuries in case of emergencies such as nuclear attack, fire, natural disaster, civil disorder or other, and provide the necessary best practices to ensure all possible and relevant forms of communicating with our faculty, staff, students, and parents. Mrs. Patricia Harris of the International Studies Elementary Charter School was interviewed about the International Studies Elementary Charter School’s Emergency Management Plan and the role of the school counselor during emergencies. Surprisingly, the school counselor does not play as important of a role than one would have thought. Although, the counselor does serve as one of the Designated School Emergency Team Members, some the tasks that would seem likely the counselor would perform, are performed by other administrators. Tasks such as talking to parents or being there for the students are performed by the principal while the school counselor is delegated to direct traffic. Based on the Emergency Management Plan, it would seem that the school counselor’s role is still not clearly understood. With all the expertise that counselors can bring to a crisis situation, it’s disappointing that counselors are assigned such a miniscule task as delegating traffic. Counselor Harris did discuss the Dougherty County School System’s Crisis Team. That team is

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.

Since the hospital is a community based acute care hospital, there are numerous subunits. Under the president of Hospital AB and Health Center, the total organization is divided into seven major units which are controlled by seven senior vice presidents. Each unit under the senior vice president is further subdivided into sub units according to the services being provided. The hospital has a distinct subunit configuration for the nursing departments. Each unit is under either a vice president or a director. The major subunits are perioperative services, nursing practice and education, behavior health services, heart center, out patient women services and perinatal clinic, inpatient women services and pharmacy. Each of these major subunits is further subdivided based on the services being provided. The senior vice president for all these units also oversees the programs for patient safety, patient satisfaction and joint commission accreditation. The departments of imaging services, rehabilitation services, cancer center, breast center and quality management comes under another senior vice president (unknown author, 2005).

Disasters, whether natural or manmade, can happen anytime and anywhere, without warning. An earthquake, hurricane, tornado, fire, or hazardous material spill or even an act of terrorism can happen