Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
3. Where is the HVA located? Has a copy
been included in the institution's emergency-
management manual?
4. Does the organization's senior management
understand the major issues identified as part
of the analysis, and do these issues inform
the facility's documentation and contracting
processes?
5. Does the HVA include the possibility of
responding to terrorism and the so-called
“CNBC” (i.e., concussive, nuclear, biological,
and chemical) events, as well as the differing
effects each might have on the ability of the
facility to respond?
6. Is the organization located in a potential
terrorist target area? If so, does the organiza-
tion need to stockpile certain mission-critical
supplies, and is it keeping track of its incurred
expenses in doing so?
7. Does the HVA and the institution's other emer-
gency plans contemplate whether and how the
emergency could limit access to (and from)
the institution for patients, employees, and
vendors?
a. Are critical roads and transit points subject
to their own risks (e.g., earthquakes), or
are they targets for terrorist attacks?
b. Do such ingress/egress thoroughfares run
by locations that may need to limit their
own access in an emergency and beyond
(e.g., past police headquarters or govern-
mental buildings)?
c. Does the organization understand how
long a threatened closure may last (e.g.,
during the emergency; during the cleanup;
permanently)?
d. Based on the length of possible closure,
how might the closure affect both the
response to the emergency and the even-
tual recovery from it?
8. Have the institution's vendors been apprised of
the possible limitations of access to the facility,
and can they contribute to any necessary
work-around strategy to ensure the delivery of
supplies and equipment to the facility?
C. Community-Support, Affiliation, and
Transfer Agreements
Healthcare providers often are parties to myriad
community-support, affiliation, or transfer agree-
ments. Such agreements can be a source of support
during a crisis situation.
1. Does the facility participate in community
or industry organizations that may provide
support, or to which the facility may need
to contribute, during an emergency in the
community? Is the contact information for
these organizations readily accessible to the
Command Center?
2. Is the facility part of a larger healthcare system
upon whose resources it can call (or to whose
resources the facility may need to contribute)
in an emergency?
a. Are such potential emergency contribu-
tions (i.e., resources of system members
to other system members) described in
any document or other agreement? For
instance, in an emergency, will other facili-
ties assist the organization by sending staff,
supplies, and/or equipment?
b. If the facility generally is a stand-alone
facility, can agreements be implemented
with other community providers (perhaps
even with potential competitors) for emer-
gency assistance?
c. How will these contributions be compen-
sated?
3. Is the institution part of a regional associa-
tion that can coordinate resources and response
among facilities?
a. Will the communication lines with any
such association be clear, even in an emer-
gency?
b. Is the institution confident that the associ-
ation will address the institution's unique
concerns relating to its patient population,
location, and available resources?
4. Does the organization have mutual-assistance
pacts with other facilities that may be able to
supply needed personnel, supplies, or equip-
ment? Are such mutual-assistance agreements
