{"id":5141,"date":"2020-06-25T21:10:07","date_gmt":"2020-06-25T21:10:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imegcorp.com\/?p=5141"},"modified":"2023-10-26T13:41:18","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T18:41:18","slug":"disaster-preparedness-for-hospitals-10-key-areas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imegcorp.com\/insights\/blog\/disaster-preparedness-for-hospitals-10-key-areas\/","title":{"rendered":"10 key areas for hospital disaster preparedness"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Eric Vandenbroucke<\/span><\/p>\n

Establishing a disaster-resilient healthcare facility is becoming an exceedingly more complex problem, and even hospitals that feel confident in the resiliency of their building and contingency plans may find gaps and inconsistencies with the reality of today\u2019s changing world.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In\u00a0<\/span>IMEG\u2019s executive guide, “The Importance of Healthcare Resiliency: Preparing Your Hospital for a Crisis,”<\/a> <\/span>we address five\u00a0<\/span>key\u00a0<\/span>areas<\/span>\u00a0or situations\u00a0<\/span>in which\u00a0<\/span>any\u00a0<\/span>hospital<\/span>\u00a0may be vulnerable: natural disasters and structural integrity, MEP infrastructure, physical security, mass casualty events<\/span> and infectious outbreaks, and cyber security. <\/span>Based on this guide, h<\/span>ere\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>a checklist of\u00a0<\/span>key\u00a0<\/span>items to consider<\/span>\u00a0while addressing<\/span>\u00a0resiliency<\/span>\u00a0at your facility<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Cyber\u00a0security:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>Guarding against this vulnerability<\/span>\u00a0goes beyond protecting computers and tablets<\/span>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/span>it\u00a0<\/span>should be<\/span>\u00a0a single, unified process that\u00a0<\/span>consider<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0IT, building systems, and clinical equipment\u00a0<\/span>w<\/span>holistically<\/span>\u00a0as opposed to separate system silos<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Temporary\u00a0utility\u00a0connections:<\/strong>\u00a0Ensure your facility has a backup generator<\/span>\u00a0and redundancy for\u00a0<\/span>chilled water\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>boilers<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Contingency for potable water:\u00a0<\/strong>If your supply is interrupted, how will you flush toilets<\/span>, w<\/span>ash and sterilize equipment<\/span>, or<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>provide\u00a0<\/span>drinking water? Determine how much water you need and whether you can have on-site storage or if you should contract with a pumper truck. Then enact procedures that save and reuse water (<\/span>e.g.,\u00a0<\/span>using recycled water to flush toilets or installing a roof drain for condensation recovery)<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Infrastructure\u00a0equipment\u00a0location:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Locate critical MEP equ<\/span>i<\/span>pment on higher levels of your facility to reduce the risk of flood damage \u2013 particularly if your hospital\u00a0<\/span>is in<\/span>\u00a0a floodplain or below sea level<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Access\u00a0control:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Restrict access points to your building for easier monitoring and potential visitor screening. Separate your visitor and employee parking lots and use evenly lit, well-distributed lights to increase visibility and improve security camera coverage<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Emergency\u00a0command\u00a0center:<\/strong>\u00a0Is your emergency response room hardened or located below grade? Ensure your facility has emergency power, access, and lighting in the event of a natural disaster<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Hardness of systems:<\/strong> Reinforce individual systems within your hospital to make them more resilient against disasters.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. MEP infrastructure redundancy:<\/strong> Baseline redundancy for critical infrastructure systems (such as boilers, medical gas, and power) is required by code for healthcare facilities. However, additional redundancy should be a key consideration for disaster preparedness. Consider what would happen if any component of your major infrastructure failed \u2013 and how you could safeguard against this potential problem.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  9. Infrastructure\u00a0loading\u00a0shedding:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Provide a detailed plan for how you can shut down units, whether manual or automatic. Also provide a prioritization matrix and test it often.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  10. Planning\u00a0and\u00a0practice:<\/strong>\u00a0Research and gather information for your facility, then create a risk analysis and prioritization matrix. From this, you can prepare a strategic resilience plan and\u00a0<\/span>an\u00a0<\/span>operations, readiness, and training framework<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    To learn more, follow the links below or download \u201cThe Importance of Healthcare Resiliency: Preparing Your Hospital for a Crisis.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n