The world has been so focused on COVID-19 that it seems summer, and wildfire season, snuck up on us. Responding to wildfires in the midst of a pandemic is another example of how important it is for health care personnel and communities to work together. Preparing and thinking outside the box when it comes to wildfires while dealing with a community spread pandemic helps improve our response.
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CHA has published an issue paper titled Disaster Preparedness: A Way of Life for California Hospitals, describing federal and state requirements for hospitals and how they work every day to be ready for disasters of all kinds, including earthquakes.
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Patients at Ridgecrest Regional Hospital and Bella Sera Skilled Nursing Facility are safe, and both facilities are fully operating except for minor repairs after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake on July 5 and a 6.4 magnitude tremor the day before, both centered near Ridgecrest. After the first quake on July 4, the critical access hospital’s patients were evacuated, but the Emergency Department continued to triage incoming patients, directing them to other facilities as needed. Following the even larger earthquake on July 5, Bella Sera Skilled Nursing Facility lost power and worked with local, regional and state partners to prepare for evacuation, which ultimately wasn’t necessary.
COVID-19 brought about unforeseen challenges and solutions, forever changing the face of emergency readiness. With gritty determination and endless perseverance, you demonstrated day in and day out how valuable you are to keeping our communities safe and healthy.
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The California Department of Public Health’s Licensing and Certification Program has issued a reminder to health care facilities that, as the hot summer weather begins, they should have contingency plans in place to deal with the potential loss of air conditioning; ensure patients and residents are free of adverse conditions that may cause heat-related complications; and report extreme heat conditions that compromise patient health or require evacuation, transfer, or discharge of patients. More information and guidance are available in All Facilities Letter 19-21.
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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released a series of resources intended to help providers incorporate, in their disaster planning, strategies to care for patients with serious mental illness.
