About Emergency Preparedness
It’s time to change the way California thinks about disaster response. The COVID-19 pandemic showed that hospitals can quickly mobilize to provide flexible approaches to patient care during a disaster. The state must draw upon these lessons to prepare differently so the next crisis will be less severe. Given California’s size and complexity, the health care disaster response system of the future must be nimble enough to respond to any catastrophe. View more information on hospital disaster preparedness.
MCI Surge in the Era of Hospital Crowding
Creating immediate surge capacity for critically injured patients in a mass casualty incident (MCI) is critical in MCI response. However, the current era of hospital overcrowding and emergency department (ED) boarding has undermined the ability of the ED to create surge capacity. Brigham and Women’s Hospital has leveraged the buffer zone concept within their ED to temporarily and rapidly increase capacity to care for critical patients during an MCI.
In this CHA-member on-demand learning session, Dr. Goldberg highlights Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s experience with developing and implementing buffer zones as part of their institution’s MCI plans and highlight the lessons learned during the operationalization of their buffer zone plan.
CHA Checklist: Hospital Surge Planning
Developed by the California Hospital Association’s Hospital Preparedness Program, this tool is designed to assist in evaluating and enhancing hospital surge capacity planning. It provides a comprehensive list of key components of surge planning, including staffing, space, supplies, communication, patient care, quality, training, and exercises.
Health Care Surge: Overview
Planning for health care surges during disasters is crucial for hospitals to ensure they can effectively respond to sudden increases in patient volume. Disasters can overwhelm medical facilities–having surge plans in place allow hospitals to optimize resource allocation, manage staff and equipment efficiently, and maintain continuity of care for both surge and non-surge patients.
Title 17 Amendments: Reporting of Diseases That May Be Spread Through Bio-terrorism
Hospitals are better equipped to respond effectively to potential threats when they have clearly defined procedures for reporting cases and accessing necessary resources.
Bomb Threat Incident Planning Guide for Hospitals
Does your Emergency Management Plan Address Bomb Threat Incident Planning?
Hospital Burn Resource Manual
This Burn Resource Manual has been created as a tool for use by the Emergency Departments in all Los Angeles County Hospitals. The materials were developed and/or selected from the burn literature by a Burn Task Force. This Burn Task Force was created by the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency. This multi-disciplinary group included the Medical Directors and Administrative Nurses from the three burn centers in Los Angeles County, one center in Orange County and one center in San Bernardino county and representatives of the Emergency Medical Services Agency.
Bombing / IED Resources for Hospitals
These resources are essential for enhancing hospital preparedness and response capabilities in the event of bomb threats and mass casualty incidents. They provide valuable guidance on assessing and improving security protocols, ensuring hospitals are ready to handle potential threats. Hospitals can also benefit from strategies for expanding their capacity to manage a sudden influx of patients during emergencies, ensuring continued efficiency and quality of care.
California Department of Public Health – FAQ Documents
The following two FAQ documents are provided from California Department of Public Health
Common Toxic Syndromes
Chemical Hazards Emergency Medical Management (CHEMM) offers this comprehensive resource for toxic syndromes commonly observed in mass chemical exposures.
Terrorism Agent Information and Treatment Guidelines for Hospitals and Clinicians
This tool (Also known as the Zebra Book) was developed to be a comprehensive resource for clinical personnel by providing information on various aspects of biological, chemical, and radiological terrorism. It is intended to serve as an emergent guide book on what to do and where to seek information in the event of an attack.