State Medical Needs Shelters Latricia Ratcliffe, RN SMNS Coordinator

What is a Medical Needs Shelter? A shelter of last resort during emergency conditions for persons requiring limited medical and nursing oversight who cannot be accommodated in a general population shelter. Medical Needs Shelters ARE NOT intended to serve as skilled health care facilities.

Patients Requiring MNS Require some medical surveillance and/or special assistance. Exceed the capability of the general population shelter. Age, mobility, functional, cognitive, and/or medical disability make them vulnerable in disaster situations and can’t be served in a general population shelter. Have pre-existing conditions and maintain ADL’s in a home environment

Examples of Patients Requiring Medical Needs Shelters: Require ambulatory care with or without assistive devices Are accompanied by a caregiver Need assistance for routine care Need assistance managing health care (medications or using medical equipment) Can safely sleep on a shelter cot/no specialty cots

Considerations that impact the decision to admit to MNS vs Considerations that impact the decision to admit to MNS vs. hospitalization: Access to constant power source; Need to replenish medications and/or supplies; Potential for health status of individual to change rapidly due to stress; Ability to transport to higher level of care quickly.

Types of Medical Needs Shelters Local- under authority of local EMA to operate and coordinate Regional –under authority of State ESF-8 to operate and coordinate in support of Mississippians in temporary housing with special medical needs State- under authority of State ESF-8 to operate and coordinate in support of evacuating Mississippians with special medical needs.

Current Regional MNS locations Copiah Lincoln Community College – Wesson East Central Community College - Decatur Hinds Community College – Raymond Hudspeth Regional Center – Whitfield Jackson State University - Jackson Meridian Community College - Meridian MS Gulf Coast Community College – Lucedale MS Gulf Coast Community College – Perkinston Pearl River Community College – Hattiesburg Pearl River Community College – Poplarville Southwest MS Community College – Summit

Regional Medical Needs Shelters Primarily located at Community Colleges in the central and southern parts of the state. Mississippi Community College support services include: Security Food Service Known Locations Many on separate water system Allied health or nursing programs Pearl River Community College When determining the best places to locate these shelters, community colleges became the obvious choice because many had a facility large enough to house the population, food services and security were already on site, most are in a location that can be easily located, many are on a separate water system and they have allied health or nursing programs on site that could be beneficial in a SMNS.

Regional Medical Needs Shelters CDC and grant funding have allowed for the purchase of: Generators for each building to be used HVAC units in shelter areas Wireless internet capabilities Minor renovations for ADA compliance Storage containers with: Cots Medical supplies - Office/electrical supplies We now have agreements with seven community colleges and our State Regional Center to serve as special medical needs shelters in the event of a disaster. Through different funding sources, we have been able to purchase for each facility: generators, HVAC units, wireless internet capabilities, storage containers with cots and various medical supplies and we have also been able to fund renovations of some facilities to ensure they were ADA compliant.

State Medical Needs Shelters Stone County State MNS – Wiggins Hudspeth Regional Center – Whitfield Jackson State University- Jackson

MNS Opened for a Tropical Depression to Category 2 Storm Stone County State MNS - Wiggins Hudspeth Regional Center - Whitfield MS Gulf Coast Community College – Lucedale MS Gulf Coast Community College – Perkinston Pearl River Community College – Poplarville

SMNS Opened for a Category 3 to Category 5 Storm Stone County State MNS - Wiggins Copiah-Lincoln Community College – Wesson East Central Community College - Decatur Hudspeth Regional Center- Whitfield Hinds Community College – Raymond Jackson State University- Jackson Meridian Community College- Meridian Southwest MS Community College – Summit Pearl River Community College – Hattiesburg

Stone County State Medical Needs Shelter

Stone County State Medical Needs Shelter Unprecedented facility designed to house a total of between 100-150 patients, caregivers plus staff for a minimum of 72 hours Meets FEMA 361 requirements

Are in which the residents will be brought to the shelter and enter the building

Office of Emergency Planning and Response QUESTIONS Latricia Ratcliffe, RN SMNS Coordinator Office of Emergency Planning and Response Latricia.ratcliffe@msdh.ms.gov 601-933-2441– office 601-500-0095 – cell