To enhance response, hospitals must coordinate their mass fatality planning activities with county and regional planning efforts. Education, training, and exercises should be implemented to ensure that staff are familiar with the plan and that it is practical. Additionally, the hospital’s mass fatality plan must align with state and local regulations, the National Incident Management System, and The Joint Commission’s standards.
In the event of a catastrophic emergencies, hospital morgues can quickly become overwhelmed, requiring activation of internal mass fatality plans.
This Mass Fatality Management Plan Template aims to assist hospitals in the development of their mass fatality management plans. It provides a structured format outlining essential components and considerations for effectively responding to mass fatality incidents, ensuring that facilities are prepared to manage such emergencies in accordance with relevant regulations and best practices.
Developed by LA County EMS Agency, The Mass Fatality Management Guide for Healthcare Entities guidance for hospitals aims to assist in the effective management of mass fatality operations.
Hospitals must have strategies in place to ensure the continuity of their operations, minimize disruptions, and manage increased patient loads in crisis situations. Hospital preparedness strengthens resilience and improves outcomes for both patients and the health care system. To support hospitals in their planning and response to disaster events, this collection of resources is organized […]
The Coroners’ Mutual Aid & Mass Fatality Management Planning Program is an integral component of the California Law Enforcement Mutual Aid System.
This collection of fatality management resources was compiled by the Greater New York Hospital Association and includes challenges, innovations, and lessons-learned from mass fatality incidents:
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.
CHA has developed the following checklists and tools to provide guidance in hospital
disaster preparedness planning.
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
Hospitals Must Post Crisis Care Guidelines on Website
Effective Jan. 6, all California hospitals are required to publicly post their crisis care continuum guidelines, another facility’s guidelines, or the state’s guidelines on their website, per All Facilities Letter (AFL) 20-91. Additionally, hospitals must notify their local California Department of Public Health (CDPH) district office and their local public health department via email that they have adopted and publicly posted this policy – including a link to the website posting. Hospitals are expected to have plans that best fit their facility and regional needs and processes, while following ethical principles, health equity goals, and civil rights laws. CHA urges all hospitals to post their guidelines in an easy-to-find location on their website.