Emergency Preparedness Session Jasmyne D. Watts, MPH Louisiana Primary Care Association Regional Care Collaborative

Emergency Preparedness 0 Purpose 0 To prepare an organization for any type of disastrous or emergency event that will interrupt normal operations 0 All Hazards Approach 0 Any type of emergency from Natural Disasters to Biological Disasters to Man-made Disasters 0 Why do you need a plan? 0 Provide a guide/reference of how an organization should perform during an emergency 0 Mitigation 0 Prevention 0 Preparedness 0 Response 0 Recovery

Emergency Preparedness in the Health Center 0 Educate Staff 0 Educate Patients 0 Understanding ones role 0 Knowing protocol for the facility

Why should we exercise the plan? 0 So that in the event of an emergency there will be a smooth flow of preparing the facility 0 Assists administration from being burdened with last minute concerns 0 Provides a clear understanding of how the organization operates in an emergency

Scenario 0 Hurricane Charity is growing in the Gulf of Mexico, however it is unknown in which direction it will be heading when it makes landfall. Tuesday, June 15 the storm is predicted to make landfall near the Florida panhandle. Life in New Orleans continues as normal on June 0900 there has been news that the storm is taking a turn for the Louisiana Mississippi Gulf Coast. There are evacuation advisories.

Questions 0 What steps should you take next? 0 How do you plan? 0 What needs to be done first?