While the state Department of Health (DOH) says Hurricane Dorian is not expected to wage a serious coastal impact in New York State, DOH reminds providers that circumstances can always change, and it is imperative for providers to ensure that their emergency preparedness plans and operations are ready.
Please see the advisory sent today by the Department, which has general, cross-sector guidelines for health care facility and provider preparedness, as well as home care-specific considerations you should be making as the storm heads to the New York region.
The guidance includes recommended: supply preparations; communications protocols with staff and regional/state managers; procedures to review and update your patient care census and Transportation Assistance Levels (TALs); readiness to receive notifications and communicate through the Health Commerce System (HCS) for surveillance and critical alert purposes; staff assignment preparations; and a range of other important guidelines.
Also, should DOH activate its Health Electronic Response Data Systems (HERDS) survey process, all providers, “both in and out of the evacuation zone, must respond.” HCA will notify you of any required procedures commanding your attention.
Join us on September 17
TALS, HERDS, HCS, eFINDS, emergency preparedness requirements and best-practices … all of these will be examined in detail for you at HCA’s upcoming conference on emergency preparedness for home care and hospice in Troy, NY, just minutes from Albany.
During preparedness month, as the risk of weather-related events remains acute, this conference is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to learn from veterans in the emergency management field, including former state operational executives, on all of the vital preparedness issues confronting your organization, and to assess how well you are planning and functioning amid events like Hurricane Dorian.
Please register today.
