1. Keeping The Vulnerable Safe… How Hospitals Prepare For Emergencies. Esmeralda Valague Regional Emergency Preparedness Manager & TJC Emergency Management Compliance Officer Alamo Heights. Children’s Hospital of San Antonio. Medical Center. New Braunfels. Westover Hills.

2. Highly-Regulated EM Environment

3. Legal Issues “Tenet Healthcare Corp. (THC) the third- largest publicly traded hospital chain, agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit over patient deaths at a New Orleans medical center in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Families of patients who died sued the company over the actions of officials at Memorial Medical Center in August 2005. At least 34 patients died at the hospital after the hurricane knocked out power and the temperature inside the building rose to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). The hospital’s windows couldn’t be opened.” $25 million dollar settlement. --Bloomberg

4. “All-Hazards” Pandemics Natural Disasters Terrorism/Criminal Acts Mass Casualty Accidents Utility Failures Etc.

5. Accreditation Requirements: Two drills per year -- One must test the “receiving station” the other must test the hospital’s ability to operate without outside support for 96 hours. Annual “Hazard Vulnerability Analysis” Annual Inventory Extensive Emergency Operations Plan (111 performance standards) – Updated at least annually based on the lessons learned from drills. Staff Training Credentialing HICS

6. How We Are Unique Essential community service – Closure not an option. Patient privacy – Makes notification, information management and communication different. Some disaster reactions are opposite to other settings. Hazards – Chemicals, MRI (powerful magnets), medical gas, radioactive materials, etc.

7. STRAC South Texas Regional Advisory Council for Trauma EMS. Public Health. Emergency Management Agencies. Hospitals. Expedited Credentialing Mutual Aid Regional Planning Specialized Technical Experts Regional Asset CACHEs Regular Drills.

8. QUESTIONS? Esmeralda Valague, MA Regional Emergency Preparedness Manager and TJC Emergency Management Compliance Officer. 333 N. Santa Rosa San Antonio, TX 78207 O: 704-3905 C: 713-503-5636 evalague@christushealth.org www.christussantarosa.org