Welcome to Boone County Hospital

Emergency Management Evacuation

PROCEDURE:
When a situation arises requiring evacuation of patients from threatened or affected areas, safety of lives is our primary concern. Therefore, the evacuation must be carried out as quickly and efficiently as possible.

AUTHORITY TO EVACUATE:
Authority to order evacuation is vested only in the hospital Chief Executive Officer or designee.

The Emergency Operations Center will be activated to concentrate appropriate administrative personnel in one area near sufficient telephones, the Switchboard and the Radio's.

Engineering Department is responsible, after conferring with the Emergency Operations Center, for shutting down - the air conditioning, heating and other utilities to all or part of the facility.

If Engineering Department is unable to reach the Emergency Operations Center due to the urgency of the situation, or unavailability of communication equipment, they have the authority to proceed with the shutdown; as soon as possible the Emergency Operations Center and Director of Engineering shall be informed of the action.

Oxygen can be shut off to a specific area by either:

Engineering Department

Supervisor/Delegate of that area if the presence of the oxygen is seen as a safety threat.

TYPES OF EVACUATION:
All patients - due to:

Disruption or discontinuance of services.

Power outage or other calamity that causes damage to the facility or threatens safety and welfare of patients and staff.

Natural disaster of such magnitude or threat so as to threaten the safety and welfare of patients and staff.

Partial:

Where a given area is uninhabitable for patient safety, requiring in-house transfer; transfer to another facility or discharge.

PROCEDURE FOR EVACUATION AND DISCHARGE OF PATIENTS AS NECESSARY:
Staff nurses will supervise aides in preparing those patients to be evacuated or discharged.

Specific patients will be evaluated by physicians present and the patient disposition will be conducted under physician care and orders.

Discharge Planning Nurse or designee will notify patient's family of discharge and location of patient. She/he will make a list of the patients that were evacuated to other areas and/or facilities. This list, along with discharged rooms, will be given to the Admitting Department and Emergency Operations Center.

Discharge Planning Nurse or designee will notify the nursing homes in the area of emergency and the possibility of having to use their facility for evacuees.

If possible, the chart shall be photocopied and accompany the patient to the facility.

If unable to photocopy the chart, send the original with the patient and retrieve it at a later time.

Obtain needed help from the Labor Pool.

Patients will be evacuated to an area of safety by whatever means are available, and provide for the patient's comfort and safety:

The use of wheelchairs/gurneys from the patient care units.

Stretchers.

One (1) and/or two (2) man carries for bed patients.

Seriously ill patients are to be left in bed and moved to a safe area. Call Tech Services if portable oxygen is needed.

Assist ambulatory patients to form a line and lead them to an area of safety.

The chart and addressograph is to accompany each transferred patient, whether within or outside the facility. Discharged patients' charts are to go to Information Management.

Nursery and Obstetrics:
-Infants will be given to mothers if possible. If infants must be evacuated by personnel, two babies are placed head to foot in one bassinet and 2 bassinets are removed at one time. Blanket drag can also be used in extreme emergency.
-Intensive care infants are removed in isolettes; get portable oxygen for isolette.
-If a delivery is in progress, physician in charge will assume responsibilities.

Methods of Transportation of Discharged Patients:

Families of patients being discharged

Auxiliary personnel

Ambulance services

Boone County Transportation

Boone Community School Busses

American Red Cross

Nursing aides or volunteers will accompany all discharged patients to the parking lot, whenever possible.

DEPARTMENT DUTIES:
Switchboard:

Initiate Emergency Management Plan

Use radio equipment available to forward information if telephone system is non-functioning.

Evacuation Route:

Follow fire evacuation route as designated by map posted throughout the building.

All Departments:

All staff should report to home department, if possible, to receive briefing from department head. One exception to this is if that employee has a responsibility in a “Trauma Alert” and a trauma alert is activated.

Environmental Services:

Collect all available gurneys and wheelchairs and take to area(s) needing evacuation.

Obtain hand carry stretchers in storage area if needed.

Help with evacuation of patients.

Engineering Department:

When the Emergency Management Plan is activated by audio-paging “Code D” the engineer on duty will immediately secure the building and post appropriate signage at entrances. Signs are available in the director of engineering's office.

TOTAL FACILITY EVACUATION:
Organized and coordinated relief efforts will optimize communication/understanding among facilities with common goals and demographics.

Formal agreements will be made for the following:

Ambulance contract agreements for transfer of patients between facilities.

Transfer agreements will be made between neighboring facilities.

Vendors will be contracted for special needs or arrangements.

Location to evacuate patient's based on patient needs:

Home Care building

Heartland Fitness Center

Local nursing homes

Area physician clinics

Neighboring hospitals

Compensation/Reimbursement:

Staff pay, travel, lodging

Supply cost reimbursement

Patient billing

Time frames for the above

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