Emergency Preparedness Toolkit

An analysis to be used when developing or updating your organization’s emergency preparedness plan. This objective tool helps you score various types of threats to determine their likelihood, severity and impact

Statewide Hurricane Drill: Since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Louisiana hospitals have worked to prepare for hurricanes and other emergency events in order to better serve and support our communities. This year, Thibodaux Regional Medical Center enhanced its annual hurricane preparedness routine by testing its evacuation procedures as part of the state-wide 2016 Vigilant Guard Exercise.

Developed by Homeland Security, this assessment combines THIRA and SRA for communities to assess specific threats and threats and set targets for core capabilities.

The final regulatory rules on emergency preparedness for transplant hospitals. This is an excellent resource to ensure that a transplant organization’s current emergency preparedness plan meets the regulatory expectations.

The final regulatory rules on emergency preparedness for ambulatory surgical centers. This is an excellent resource to ensure that an ambulatory surgery center’s current emergency preparedness plan meets the regulatory expectations.

The final regulatory rules on emergency preparedness for critical access hospitals. This is an excellent resource to ensure that the critical access organization’s current emergency preparedness plan meets the regulatory expectations.

The ESF-8 Portal was created by the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) as a resource featuring tools and applications that are utilized to gather Emergency Status information on facilities licensed by the department. This resource has step-by-step instructions on how to submit and utilize the ESF-8 portal for emergency preparedness purposes and during statewide or local emergencies.

LDH provides template emergency preparedness plans for healthcare, long term care, behavioral health and outpatient facilities.

LDH provides information on the emergency preparedness rules specifically for hospitals.

LDH provides information on the emergency preparedness rules specificially to nursing homes.

ASPR Tracie provides information and technical assistance for the public and healthcare entities in emergency preparedness.

FEMA provides resources and information on current emergency situations occuring in the United States.

CDC provides resources for emergency health professionals with training tools and resources to prepare and respond to emergency situations.

Healthcare Ready provides best practice healthcare preparedness and response resources for healthcare organizations.

Medical emergencies are the most common event physician office practices should be prepared to respond to. Unfortunately, individuals may arrive who have underestimated the severity of their symptoms, there is no emergency room nearby or they lack the resources to go to the emergency room.

Environmental disasters/emergencies have the potential to disrupt services for extensive periods. These hazards may even require relocation to alternative locations. When completing the HVA, don’t be afraid to think outside of the box when considering environmental hazards. Environmental disasters may not just be natural disasters such as tornados or hurricanes. They may also be gas leaks, explosions and failures of utilities such as electricity. Environmental disasters could also be man-made hazards such as bombs and bioterrorism. Possible scenarios can be numerous and it can be easy to get overwhelmed. Care should be taken to develop your organization’s response, contingency plan, communication plan and staff training for each likely scenario.

OSHA reports that, in each year from 2011 to 2013, healthcare workers in the U.S. suffered 15,000 to 20,000 serious workplace violence-related injuries. Issues can arise for numerous reasons, but commonly involve disgruntled employees or domestic violence that spills over to the workplace from an employee or a patient/family member who is unhappy.