Incident Command System (ICS) for Home Care

Kaleida Health Emergency Management

and the

Visiting Nursing Association of Western New York

VNA of WNY, Inc. and VNA Home Care

Services• Average Daily Census 6,500 patients• CHHA• LHCSA• 2 Adult Day Care Sites• 1,300 + Respiratory patients• 1,000 Employees• 5 branches servicing 7 counties of WNY• 2 rural counties

Organization

• Home Health Care Services branch of the Kaleida Health Care System, consisting of 5 acute care hospitals and multiple other entities.

• Site Emergency Management Committees report to Corporate EMC

• VNA is represented on the Corporate EMC.

Home Health Care Emergency

Management

• Trail and development under fire!

• Aha moment!

• October 2006 Storm/Extend power outage

• Agency wide initiative

• Senior management engagement

• Drills and exercises

National Incident Management

System (NIMS)• FEMA requires healthcare organizations to

implement 14 NIMS implementation Objectives• Organizations must report compliance in order to

receive HHS funding.• Require staff to complete no-cost online training.• Requires revision and update of emergency

plans, operating procedures and incorporation of NIMS and National Response Framework components and principles.

Hospital Incident Command System

(HICS)• A flexible, comprehensive incident management

system intended for use in both emergent and non-emergent situations.

• Designed for hospitals and includes provisions for medical surge capacity and evacuation of hospital facilities.

• Does not apply directly to Long Term Care or Home Care organizations.

Home Care ICS

• Under development for use at the VNA or other home care organizations (see handout). Feedback welcome!

• Home Care specific and addresses organization of functions typically found in home care organizations.

• Flexible and scalable to fit the organization’s leadership and staffing models.

• Consistent with NIMS, ICS, and HICS.

Community Integration

• Unique aspects of home care organizations require collaboration with local emergency managers / emergency services.

• Benefits to local emergency managers– Know locations of special needs population– Hazards related to oxygen patients– Community outreach / relations– Emergency Preparedness

Accreditation Programs

• JC, CHAP, ACHC• Joint Commission Standards for Emergency

Management – Home Care– Community involvement– Inventory of emergency management assets– 96 hour self sufficiency– Six critical functions: Communications, resources and assets,

Safety and security, Staff, Utilities, Patient and clinical support– Disaster privileging / credentialing– Emergency planning

• NFPA 1600 – Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity – Conceptual framework for EM programs

Contacts

• Jay Roorbach– Kaleida Health Corporate Emergency Manager– 716.859.8521– jroorbach@kaleidahealth.org

• Laura Raisor, RN– Director Clinical Services, VNA Home Care

Services– 716.630.8765– lraisor@kaleidahealth.org