Special Medical Support Shelters

• Concept of Operations– Provides safe refuge to evacuated medically fragile

individuals who require medical services that: • cannot be handled by Mass Care Shelters • do not require hospitalization.

– Primarily individuals under Home Health care or being cared for by family

– Aids in “decompressing” Hospitals

Special Medical Support Shelters

• Functional Needs Support vs. SMSS– Mass Care Support/Medical Staff Augmented General

Population Shelter

• Community College vs. SMSS– Community College Plan reserved for catastrophic

level events

Special Medical Support Shelters

• What is an SMSS appropriate patient?– Many variables/considerations– Patient Matrix (WebEOC-File Library, SMSS)– Goal is three-fold

• Allows General Population shelters to operate at full capability

• Keeps Hospital bed-space available for critical needs• Provide best/most appropriate care to fragile population

Special Medical Support Shelters

• Special Medical Support Shelter Packages– Type IV SMSS 10 bed– Type III SMSS 25 bed– Type II     SMSS 50 bed– Type I     SMSS 100 bed

• 12 hours from Activation to 100% Operation

Special Medical Support Shelters

• SMSS Components– Evaluation/Triage– Acute Care– Skilled Care (General Holding)– Hospice– Pediatrics– Memory Unit– Isolation

Special Medical Support Shelters

• SMSS Support• Internal Services

– Site Security, Logistics/Medical Resupply, Medical Staff, Pharmacy, Morgue

• Contracted Services– Feeding– Waste Management

Special Medical Support Shelters

• Special Medical Support Shelters established by NCEM/OEMS are State Paid/Supported– Concerted effort to identify support services prior to

shelter activation– Limited expense to Host– Liaison for Social Services, Animal Control, Public

Health, EMS, Hospital, Emergency Management

Special Medical Support Shelters

• Current Sites with SMSS site plans– Walter B. Jones ADATC- Greenville, Pitt County– Smith Rec. Center- Fayetteville, Cumberland County– Robeson Community College, Lumberton– Lenoir Community College, Kinston

Risk County Considerations

• Re-entry Inspection• Risk vs. Benefit• Companion Animals• Pharmaceuticals & DME• Transportation• Liaison

Special Medical Support Shelters

• System expansion– Goal is at least one shelter per county– Submit site recommendations to Area Coordinators

• 6,000+ square feet• Food Service Kitchen or nearby special diet services• Generator or Transfer Switch• Close proximity to a Hospital• Ease of access to major transport routes• Outside Floodplain

– Site Survey (WebEOC-File Library, SMSS)

Special Medical Support Shelters

Questions?NCEM ESF-8 Coordinator

Todd Brown, Emergency Services Group SupervisorOffice: 919.825.2259Mobile: 919.622.8375Email: Todd.Brown@ncdps.gov