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06/04/07 |
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Steven R. Smith Appeared in Baltimore Business Journal Health care workers in hospitals face, and effectively manage, crises everyday. It is simply what they do, whether that is taking care of a critically ill patient, responding to a code where a patient's heart stopped beating or performing an emergency operation. As a society, we rely upon our hospitals being able to provide this care for all of us. However, what would happen in the event of a major crisis that disrupts the normal course of activity for significant parts of our society? Are our hospitals prepared to respond to a significant influx of patients as a result of a terrorist attack or other event that may involve mass injuries and casualties? Preparing to juggle the burdens and responsibilities faced is not an easy task for hospitals because the type and scope of an emergency is difficult to predict. Preparation has become even more difficult in light of the threat of terrorism. The good news is that hospitals are required to engage in planning for emergencies and to establish disaster plans. Many states have specific laws that require these actions. Beyond state law, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) requires that hospitals have an emergency management plan that addresses its approach to internal and external emergencies. Hospitals are required to engage in a hazard vulnerability analysis to identify potential emergencies and how those emergencies may impact the need for, and the ability of the hospital to deliver, its services. This includes consideration of how the hospital will coordinate activities with the community as a whole in responding to emergencies. JCAHO also requires that hospitals engage in periodic drills to test whether the written plan easily translates to action and to identify weaknesses in the plan so that they can be corrected before an actual emergency occurs. Preparation is not only difficult, it is expensive. Upgrading information technology to take advantage of the ability to improve communications and actual care is essential in order to respond quickly and efficiently to a disaster. Further, sophisticated medical equipment is necessary in order to effectively treat many injuries that are foreseeable in the event of certain disasters. These needs are even more acute for those hospitals that are located in close proximity to high terrorist threat areas. The expense issue is a serious problem. The federal government has not done enough to provide direct assistance to hospitals to allow them to upgrade their facilities and capabilities sufficiently to prepare for major disasters. It is no longer sufficient for a hospital's emergency planning to only consider an internal fire, flood, or at worst, a natural disaster affecting the community, as the universe of events for which to prepare. Hospitals recognize the increased number and scope of threats for which they need to be prepared. However, without external funding to assist in this preparation, the only resources available to a hospital are those generated by its operations or from donations. The government has made enormous investments in fighting and preventing terrorism. A greater portion of that investment needs to go to hospitals so that they can be better prepared to respond and save lives in the event that a major disaster occurs. |
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Ober, Kaler, Grimes & Shriver Maryland
Washington, D.C. Virginia |
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