King County Healthcare Coalition
Planning Areas Healthcare Sector
Ambulatory Care
OBJECTIVES
- Increase ambulatory care membership in the Healthcare Coalition.
- Develop plans to increase coordination, communications, and the effective use of resources among ambulatory care providers in responding to pandemic influenza and other emergencies.
- Develop strategies to increase ambulatory care surge capacity.
-
Develop screening and triage strategies for the
healthcare delivery system that will:
- Minimize inappropriate utilization of emergency rooms and other acute care facilities and
- Preserve the safety net within King County
- Coordinate with long term care facilities on Coalition regional trainings and exercises
- Coordinate with long term care facilities on access to the Coalition’s regional resource and communications software – WATrac
- Develop memoranda of understanding and mutual aid agreements that will foster increased preparedness within the ambulatory care sector.
Additional Resources
- Public Health - Seattle & King County Pandemic Flu .
- WA State Department of Health Pandemic Flu Web page.
- The most detailed information and guidance from the CDC and other Federal agencies . Currently includes guidance for the lay public. Guidance for providers is being developed.
- Other emergency preparedness sites (prepared by the Greater New York Hospital Association).
- Community Clinic & Health Center Emergency Operations Plan Template (prepared by the California Clinic Emergency Preparedness Project).
BEHAVOIRAL HEALTH SECTOR
OBJECTIVES
- Develop systems to ensure continuity of care along the continuum of care in a post-disaster environment for those receiving chemical dependency and/or mental health treatment in King County.
- In collaboration with key partners, develop a short & long-term response to mental health needs in King County that occur due to trauma associated with disaster.
- Educate healthcare workforce in the practice of Psychological First Aid.
OTHER TOOLS
Disaster Behavioral Health: Common reactions of disaster
survivors
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Tips and Techniques for Introducing Psychological First
Aid
HOME HEALTH-HOME CARE
OBJECTIVE
Convene key stakeholders of Home Health and Home Care in King County in order to work together to better ensure continuity of care during emergencies or disasters for clients. This includes:
- Encouraging the development of mutual aid between providers.
- Providing education and technical support on business resiliency/Continuity of Operations planning.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Emergency Preparedness Packet for Home Health
Agencies
Disaster Planning Guide for Home Health Care
Providers
Hospitals
Hospital Preparedness enhances the ability of hospitals to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies and is tied to overall system infrastructure and surge capability within that infrastructure. Healthcare Coalition coordinates with local hospitals to develop hospital evacuation planning, bed tracking, fatality management planning, drills and exercises, altered standards of care, pharmaceutical supplies, vendor surveys and assisting hospitals to meet Joint Commission Emergency Preparedness Standards.
OTHER TOOLS
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
LONG TERM CARE SECTOR
OBJECTIVES
- Increase long term care membership in the Healthcare Coalition
- Develop plans to increase coordination, communications, and the effective use of resources among long term care providers in responding to pandemic influenza and other emergencies.
- Develop strategies to increase long term care surge capacity.
-
Develop screening and triage strategies for the
healthcare delivery system that will:
- Minimize inappropriate utilization of emergency rooms and other acute care facilities
- Preserve the safety net and
- Build resiliency in long term care organizations
- Develop an evacuation plan MOU for all nursing homes in King County
- Coordinate with long term care facilities on Coalition regional trainings and exercises
- Coordinate with long term care facilities on access to the Coalition’s regional resource and communications software – WATrac
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
PALLIATIVE CARE
OBJECTIVES
- Assure access to palliative care and hospice in King County in an influenza pandemic or other large-scale medical emergency
- Collaborate to determine strategies to increase access to palliative care and hospice in an emergency, addressing both organizational and regional surge capacity.
-
Develop a palliative care and hospice care coordination
plan that is standardized for the healthcare response,
including the following components:
- A regional agreement among participating organizations
- A communications and coordination protocol
- An activation and deactivation plan coordinated with the Healthcare Coalition
- Hospice and palliative care provider emergency contact information
- Provide subject matter expertise in development of educational materials for patients and families to be used in home management of palliative care
- Develop a just-in-time palliative care training program for lay caregivers, healthcare professionals, call center staffers and emergency responders
OTHER TOOLS
Palliative Care Memorandum of Understanding
PEDIATRIC (SECTOR)
OBJECTIVES
- Plan for appropriate and regionally coordinated medical care of children, including those with disabilities and special healthcare needs, in the event of a health emergency
- Collaborate in regional planning for continuity of safe childbirth services and care of the newborn, in the event of a large-scale health emergency
- Identify educational materials and resources for disaster preparedness planning which are appropriate for healthcare providers and agencies who care for children and who provide guidance to their families
WORKGROUPS – COMMITTEES
- Pediatric Workgroup: Consisting of healthcare professionals involved in the medical care of infants, children and adolescents in King County who are committed to planning for optimal medical management of children in disaster situations, the group functions through the work of a steering committee and smaller and more narrowly-focused task forces.
- Pediatric Workgroup Steering Committee: to integrate the work of the task forces in planning for a regional response, combining the perspective of both inpatient and ambulatory healthcare delivery to children and adolescents.
- Pediatric Mental Health Task Force: planning for disaster mental health services for children and adolescents and their families.
- Pediatric Triage & Critical Care Task Force: planning for appropriate triage in management of pediatric patients, both in the pre-hospital and hospital settings, in a mass casualty situation or in the situation of limited resources in a large-scale medical emergency
- Perinatal Task Force: planning to meet the essential healthcare needs of pregnant women, new mothers, fragile newborns and infants, as well as collaborative planning with the obstetrics community for continuity of childbirth services in a region-wide disaster
- Schools & Daycare Task Force: considering issues to promote emergency preparedness planning in schools and daycare facilities
OTHER TOOLS
ABSTRACT - Pediatric Resources for Disaster Response In
Seattle-King County Hospitals
