“good god! what horror and destruction”
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Texas Association of Hospital Facility Managers May, 2006 Planning for the Future Jonathan Huss Intra-Governmental Liaison Texas Department of State Health Services. “Good God! What horror and destruction”. It seemed as if a total dissolution of nature was taking place. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Texas Association of Hospital Facility Managers
May, 2006
Planning for the Future
Jonathan Huss Intra-Governmental Liaison
Texas Department of State Health Services
“Good God! What horror and destruction”
It seemed as if a total dissolution of nature was taking
place.
The roaring of the sea and wind
The prodigious glare of almost perpetual lightning
The crash of falling houses
And the ear piercing shrieks of the distressed were sufficient to strike astonishment into Angels
A great part of the buildings throughout the island are
leveled to the ground
Almost all the rest very much shattered – several persons killed and numbers utterly
ruined
Whole families wandering about the streets, unknowing where to find a place of shelter
The sick exposed to the keenness of water and air – without a bed to lie upon – or a dry covering to their bodies
And our harbors entirely bare
In a word, misery, in its most hideous shapes, spread over the whole face of the country…
Alexander Hamilton18th Century
U.S. Mainland Hurricane Strikes 1851-2004
Category 1 2 3 4 5 All / Major
U.S. 109 72 71 18 3 273 / 92
Texas 23 17 12 7 0 59 / 19
Source: NOAA
DSHS Response
• Supported local and regional health & medical responses; and worked in support of evacuations (K/R)
• Facilitated sheltering of medical special needs evacuees (R)
• Mobilized to solve prescription drug & immunization challenges (K/R)
• Deployed federal and volunteer medical teams to areas of identified need
• Coordinated with FEMA and HHS on evacuation, re-evacuation & repatriation (R)
• Mobilized mental health & substance abuse assets (K/R)
• Assembled & deployed Public Health Response Teams (K/R)
DSHS Response
The dogmas of the past are inadequate to the stormy future.
- Lincoln
Rigorous Honesty Is Required
Medical Special Needs Populations
Background:Background:
Report to the Governor (October 2004)
Special Needs defined in four broad categories:
• Institutionalized Medical
• Homeless
• Mental Health/Mental Retardation
• Home Health/Meals on Wheels
July 2005: DSHS charged with developing plan to assist and care for “Special Needs” population
March 2006: Have a draft plan ready by April 15
We have a plan!
Special Needs: Actions Taken
Governor’s Special Task Force on Evacuation
DSHS After Action Review
Coordination meetings with sister agencies
Coordination with Governor’s Division of Emergency Management
Develop a data base / Refine definition / Train shelter managers
Pre-define shelters with appropriate training for managers
Coordinate evacuation transportation
Revise and tighten regulations regarding regulated care providers’ disaster planning protocols
Engage PCPs and Pharmacy communities to prepare SN population for disaster response
• Clear definitions of medical special populations
• Pre-registration of people with special needs
• Transportation arranged in advance with early evacuation plans in place
• Hub City and Sister City designations
• Clear expectations of shelter management roles & responsibilities
• Clear expectations of individuals with medical special needs in institutional and regulated facility settings
Medical Special Needs Shelter PlanGeneral Concepts
Types of Medical Special Needs Persons
Medical Special Needs Shelter
Level 1: persons dependent on others for routine care
Level 2: persons with disabilities such as blind, hearing impaired, amputation,
Level 3: persons needing monitoring by a nurse, dependent on equipment, assistance with medications, mental health disorders.
Types of Medical Special Needs Persons
Medical Facility
Level 4: persons who require extensive medical oversight (i.e. IV chemotherapy, ventilator, dialysis, life support equipment).
Level 5: persons in hospitals, long-term care & assisted living facilities
Lessons
• Have a plan and work the plan• Sustainability of training, organization and staffing• Public health and other governmental agencies
awareness and openness to MHSA issues is lacking• Plan past the emergency phase• Understand the gaps between what the feds can do,
what the state can do, and what local agencies can do• Appreciate the importance of policy coordination• Take care of your people• All disasters are local
Lessons cont.
• Preparedness works• Communication requires both front
channel & back channel options
• Asking the right questions is critical• Improvisation is essential• Leadership must be decisive – not risk
averse
Suggestions for Facility Disaster Planning
• Sheltering in place?
• Plan on back-up systems for your back-up systems
• Generators
• Water
• Electrical
• Medical Gases
• Security
• Define “Surge Capacity”
• Staffed capacity
• Design capacity
• Disaster capacity
So… What’s ahead?
The only thing more difficult than planning for an emergency is having to explain why you didn’t.
Be Proactive NOT Reactive!Be Proactive NOT Reactive!
Timing is everything
Contact Information
Jon Huss
Intra-Governmental Liaison
Texas Department of State Health Services
1100 West 49th Street
Austin, TX 78756
512-458-7111 x 3182