Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
implementing assistance under this Mutual
Aid MOU. Logistics include identifying
the number and specific location where
personnel, pharmaceuticals, supplies, equip-
ment, or patients should be sent, how to
enter the security perimeter, estimated time
interval to arrival and estimated return date
of borrowed supplies, etc.
5.
Clearinghouse
: Each hospital will participate
in an annual H-MAS exercise that includes
communicating to the clearinghouse a set of
data elements or indicators describing the
hospital's resource capacity (see appendices).
The Clearinghouse will serve as an informa-
tion center for recording and disseminating
the type and amount of available resources at
each hospital. During a disaster drill or emer-
gency, each hospital will report to the Clear-
inghouse the current status of their indicators.
(For a more detailed account of the Clearing-
house's responsibilities, see “Clearinghouse
Requirements.”) Hospitals also participate in
daily radio checks performed by the Clear-
inghouse.
6.
Hospital Indicators
: A set of hospital
resource measures that are reported to the
Communication Center during a disaster drill
or actual disaster. The indicators are designed
to catalogue hospital resources that could be
available for other hospitals during a disaster.
7.
Documentation
: During a disaster, the recip-
ient hospital will accept and honor the donor
hospital's standard requisition forms. Docu-
mentation should detail the items involved
in the transaction, condition of the material
prior to the loan (if applicable), and the party
responsible for the material.
8.
Authorization
: The recipient facility will have
supervisory direction over the donor facility's
staff, borrowed equipment, etc., once they are
received by the recipient hospital.
9.
Financial and Legal Liability
: The recip-
ient hospital will assume legal responsibility
for the personnel and equipment from the
donor hospital during the time the personnel,
IV. General Principles of
Understanding
1.
Participating Hospitals
: Each hospital desig-
nates a representative to attend the (name
of organization) Hospital Mutual Aid System
meetings and to coordinate the mutual aid
initiatives with the individual hospital's emer-
gency management plans. Hospitals also
commit to participating in H-MAS exercises
and maintaining their radio links to H-MARS.
2.
Partner Hospital Concept
: Each hospital
has the option of linking to a designated
partner or “buddy” hospital as the hospital
of 'first call for help' during a disaster. The
hospitals comprising each partner-network
should develop, prior to any medical disaster,
methods for coordinating communication
between themselves, responding to the media,
and identifying the locations to enter their
buddy hospital's security perimeter.
3.
Implementation of Mutual Aid Memorandum
of Understanding
: A health care facility
becomes a participating hospital when an
authorized administrator signs the MOU.
During a medical emergency, only the autho-
rized administrator (or designee) or command
center at each hospital has the authority
to request or offer assistance through
H-MAS. Communications between hospi-
tals for formally requesting and volunteering
assistance should therefore occur among
the senior administrators (or designees) or
respective command centers.
4.
Command Center
: The impacted facility's
command center is responsible for informing
the clearinghouse of its situation and defining
needs that cannot be accommodated by the
hospital itself or any existing partner hospital.
The senior administrator or designee is
responsible for requesting personnel, pharma-
ceuticals, supplies, equipment, or authorizing
the evacuation of patients. The senior admin-
istrator or designee will coordinate both inter-
nally, and with the donor/patient-accepting
hospital, all of
the logistics involved in
