By Sarah Schock Sep 7, 2021 Skilled Nursing Facility

Updated: Sep 7, 2021

In light of the recent hurricane that hit Louisiana, as well as the resulting flooding throughout the northeast, and the heatwaves in the northwest it’s important that SNFs review their emergency preparedness plans so that they are ready for any potential disaster.

Facilities should take time to review the following, and make sure all involved parties are informed, and ready to act in the event of an emergency.

• What residents and/or their families should do when the fire alarm activates (e.g., follow staff instruction, defend in place)
• How staff will be communicated with or have access to the facility if normal means (telephones) are impacted by the emergency or disaster
• Information on how staff are trained in fire and emergency incident response
• How drills and exercises are conducted to evaluate staff knowledge and plan effectiveness
• How you will implement emergency staffing plans with loss of multiple staff members
• How the facility will shelter in place or issue notification if the facility is forced to fully evacuate

Questions?

Contact:

Laura Hofmann, MSN, RN – Director of Clinical and Nursing Facility Regulatory Services
c: 425-231-4804