Last week two different Oklahoma facilities were damaged by tornadoes. The first, an assisted living facility, received significant damage to the building and the areas surrounding it. All 33 residents were able to make it out of the building safely, and there were no severe injuries. Staff said they had to find new housing for the residents, as they were unable to go back inside the facility.
In the second case, nursing home employees and 79 residents sheltered in the facility as an EF-2 tornado hit. The employees had followed the facility’s safety plan and taken the residents to a central part of the building. They sheltered in hallways away from windows, which is what they do when there are tornado warnings, and what they practice during emergency drills.
Several of the nursing home’s wings experienced significant damage, with roofs and walls collapsing. None of the employees or residents were injured. Residents were transferred by ambulances and buses to other facilities as the nursing home is currently uninhabitable. It will reopen, but according to a disaster response crew, restoration will likely take a couple months.
Compliance Perspective
Issue
Facility staff should be well versed in life safety and emergency preparedness requirements. The Emergency Preparedness Plan and Life Safety code specifications should be reviewed by facility leaders who must ensure that staff are aware of and meeting the requirements. It is critical that the facility’s Emergency Preparedness Plan is reviewed periodically and implemented promptly should any emergency arise. A comprehensive approach to meeting the health and safety needs of the residents should encompass the elements for emergency preparedness planning based on the “all-hazards” definition and specific to the location of the facility. For instance, a facility in a tornado prone region, or large flood zone, should have included these elements in their overall planning. An effective Emergency Preparedness Plan should also cover fire emergencies and include detailed guidelines for the total evacuation of a facility to a safe location, transport of required equipment, secure handling of medications and medical records to transfer locations, and much more. Refer to the CMS State Operations Manual, Appendix Z, available here.
Discussion Points
- Review your Emergency Preparedness Plan and update as necessary. Review the most current Life Safety codes and ensure that your building meets those requirements. Make sure the Plan is available to staff so they can easily access the guidelines for the various components should an emergency occur.
- Train all staff on your Emergency Preparedness Plan. Conduct drills for the various disaster response plans to ensure staff competency with each. Ensure that the facility Maintenance Director is aware of current Life Safety codes and provide training as needed. Document that these trainings and drills occurred, and file the signed documents in each employee’s education file.
- Periodically conduct environmental audits to ensure that Life Safety codes are being followed. Audit staff understanding to ensure that they are aware of their roles during each category of emergency per your Emergency Preparedness Plan. Audit to ensure that thorough documentation of each drill is on file and available for surveyor access when requested, to include participation in an annual area-wide drill with your local emergency response teams.
*This news alert has been prepared by Med-Net Concepts, LLC for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice.*
