Hospital Disaster Preparedness

Preparing for and Protecting Against Health Care Hacks

2018 Disaster Conference

Hancock Health presented on a cyberattack event they experienced, describing their pre-incident conditions, the timeline of the attack, and their response to the event. The session provided a legal analysis, and gave insights on how hospitals and health systems can prepare for, and lessen the likelihood of, cyberattack incidents.

Lessons from the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season

2018 Disaster Conference

This session provided an overview of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) system and the NDMS deployment in response to the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season. The presentation gave an overview of the priorities during these events, and now hospital operations were impacted as a result of this severe weather.

Lessons Learned: Building Integrated Firestorm Response and Recovery

2018 Disaster Conference

Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health presenters share how their organizations responded to wildfires that caused their hospitals to evacuate in October 2017. The session details operational impacts as well as recovery efforts taken by both health systems to restore hospital services to the community. Presenters shared lessons learned from these events and highlight opportunities for improved performance.

Crisis Care Guidelines: Now It Is Time to Implement

2020 Virtual Disaster Conference

This presentation reviews how hospitals can develop and implement guidelines for continuing care when resources become critically constrained. The session provides information for hospitals on the process of shifting from conventional to contingency and ultimately to crisis care, where the focus transitions from individual patient care to managing care for the broader population. Highlights of the session include the ethical and non-discriminatory decision-making processes that help prepare hospitals for adapting their operations.

Public Safety Partnerships and Disaster Response

2020 Virtual Disaster Conference

This presentation outlines how hospitals can build relationships with public safety partners to effectively respond to disasters. The session covers implementation strategies and lessons-learned from facilities who use a collaborative planning and response structure within their communities.

Hospital-Based Surge Management

2020 Virtual Disaster Conference

This presentation offers strategies hospital can use in taking a simplified approach to planning, engagement, and communications as they plan to manage patient surges.

Fatality Management in New York City Hospitals: Lessons Learned

2020 Virtual Disaster Conference

Learn about the challenges faced by New York City hospitals in managing the unprecedented surge in fatalities. This session outlines how the the city’s mass fatality management plans were quickly overwhelmed, and reviews how hospital quickly adapted to increase mortuary space, redeploy staff, and work closely with the Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) to manage body collection points and long-term storage. The session also outlined the various logistical challenges faced by hospitals and emphasized the need for improved coordination, enhanced hospital preparedness, and updates to fatality management plans for future emergencies.