Welcome to Boone County Hospital

Emergency Management Communications

POLICY:

Emergency management communications must be efficient, reliable and properly maintained to handle an emergency.

Boone County Hospital staff will adhere to accepted practice for responding to Iowa Health Alert Network alerts.

PROCEDURE for Emergency Management Communications:
The hospital's telephone system must be safeguarded from overloading during an emergency.

Two-way radio equipment and operators which are familiar with equipment shall be available in the event of an emergency. The radios are located in the cardiac rehab closet with the disaster chest.

Employees and/or Volunteers will be assigned to the hospital to provide both internal and external messenger service as described in the HEICS communication unit leader to supplement and support all other means of communication.

All incoming and outgoing messages to or from the EOC will be routed through the Liaison Officer.

Communication will be limited to messages essential to the emergency operation.

When telephone extensions to the Emergency Operations Center are tied up, incoming calls will be switched to messenger personnel who will copy the messages and route them to the Emergency Operations Center.

All messenger-borne and radio-transmitted messages will be on letter-sized paper showing:

The date and time sent or received.

The names and titles of the addressee and the sender.

A message log will be maintained by a clerk in the Emergency Operations Center.

PROCEDURE for Iowa Health Alert Network :

PURPOSE:

To outline a procedure to receive alerts from the statewide Health Alert Network (HAN).

To describe a procedure for ensuring the appropriate parties are notified of the information conveyed in alerts through the system.

BACKGROUND:
The Iowa Heath Area Network (HAN) is a Web-based information and communication system which allows the IDPH, local health departments, hospitals, and other authorized users to distribute and receive alerts, educational and informational announcements, and other important public health and safety news.

The HAN serves as a single, central point of log-on and access for finding, creating, and sharing information through a browser-based interface. Using the Internet, you can access HAN portal content and collaboration areas, links to resources and applications, alerts, notification functions, and the role based directory. Like any Web site, you simply click on buttons and links to access content and perform functions. The HAN enables you to:

Allows you to receive alerts from other users within your health alert network (HAN)

Securely share and collaborate on documents

Locate contact information for other users within your HAN

Read your HAN's latest news and announcements

In addition to the HAN web portal, the HAN has an 800mHz radio component available and located at the Emergency Department switchboard that can be used to communicate with every hospital, public health department, county emergency management, and state agencies including IDPH. These radios are available to be used as a redundant source of communication.  Routine communications are NOT to be made with this system.  This system is tested monthly, usually on the 1st Wednesday of month.  Push button and wait 1 second, speak, finger off.

DEFINITIONS:
High Level Alert:  Something that is definitely going to have an impact on everyone or something that requires you to take action.  REQUIRES IMMEDIATE  ACTION.
Medium Level Alert: The first time the Iowa Department of Public Health advises of an issue.  Exp – initial cases of West Nile Virus in Iowa.
Low Level Alert:  Follow up alerts.

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Any questions regarding the use of the HAN or the 800mHz radio should be directed to the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator.  If unavailable, you may also contact the HAN Duty Officer.

HAN contact information:

Tom Boeckmann, HAN Officer – tom.boeckmann@idph.state.ia.us

HAN Duty Officer – hanofficer@iowahealthalert.org

RESPONSIBILITY:

Staff responsible for responding to HAN alerts for Boone *County Hospital includes the following positions:

Emergency Department / Switchboard Staff

Emergency Preparedness Coordinator

Director of Emergency Services

Director of Laboratory

Infection Control Officer

Assistant Administrator for Quality

Staff responsible for responding to HAN alerts for Boone County Public Health includes the following positions:

Director of Public Health

Assistant Director of Public Health

Safety Officer

Assistant Administrator for Nursing

Boone County Environmental Health

PRACTICE:
All staff users will maintain individual alerting profiles on the Iowa Health Alert Network appropriate to the needs of Boone County Hospital.  Appropriate alerting roles and profiles as well as actions taken from alerts shall be determined by the Emergency Preparedness Team and reviewed annually.

PROCEDURE:
1.HAN users are notified of alerts via cell phone, land phone, alpha pager, or email; based upon their profile preference.

2.Each individual user is responsible for maintaining his/her own user profile, including username, password, and alerting code via the HAN website.  The system will remind you monthly to update profile.

3.When receiving phone alerts, follow the automated directions to receive and confirm receipt of the alert.  You will be prompted to press 1, then your 4 digit alert code.  After listening to the message, you will be prompted to press 1 again to confirm receipt of the alert.
a.Note: Press the “star” button to repeat the message, pressing the “pound button will skip to the end of the message.

4.After receiving an alert, all users will access the HAN website at https://www.iowahealthalert.org to receive information and ascertain risk to this hospital and the local area.

5.The Emergency Department/Switchboard staff shall contact the House Supervisor when receiving “High” level alerts, if the alert is other than a test or drill of the HAN system.  Additionally, all Medium and High Level Alerts shall be posted in a designated location in the Emergency Department nurses station.

6.The House Supervisor shall contact appropriate personnel (ie – Administrative Team, Infection Control Officer, Safety Officer) to determine risk to and action needed by Boone County Hospital.

7.Low level alerts are used to inform of updates and routine information.  Users are usually notified by email only depending on profile setup.

8.All medium and high level alerts shall be forwarded to all the administrative team members, PIO, all ER staff, all laboratory personnel, Medical staff, and all affiliated clinics.

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT USER INFORMATION
Alerting Code: 1111
User Name:  boone
Password:   hospital

REFERENCES:
Iowa Department of Public Health (2007).  Health Alert Network Policy Template for Hospitals.

US Patent Numbers 7,720,998 B2, 7,836,207