Keeping things in perspective: Catching up with Chicago, Part 1

As I was going through my draft folders to generate some ideas for this space, I realized that I have not been as diligent in poring over the monthly issues of Perspectives as I might otherwise have been. Not really sure why that might be (now that I’ve looked over the last few months, there was a whole lot going on about which I’d be inclined to opine), but let’s pull out the salient points/issues and tease out the chocolatey goodness (so to speak).

While I was dearly hoping for some more news of the pending EC/LS harmonization project, it appears that I’m going to have to cool my jets for a little while longer. The January 2025 issue covers the unveiling of a new Sentinel Event Alert covering Environmental Disasters and the enjoinder to prepare to safely evacuate or shelter in place. It seems to me that this ground was covered pretty extensively in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I have maintained for rather a while now that we probably don’t practice evacuation as much as we could/should/would, at least partially because it is probably the most stressful immediate emergency response. (As we have learned, pandemics are pretty stressful, and evacuation really wasn’t a card that could be played effectively very often).  At any rate, the key recommendations in the Alert are:

• Revisit and update emergency plans
• Establish and build collaborative relationships
• Develop a resilient communications infrastructure
• Plan how to meet essential needs and provide care to staff, patients, residents, individuals served, and others
• Plan and practice how to evacuate and shelter in place

So, all things being equal (which almost never happens in real life), you are probably going to want to coach your senior leaders in how to effectively respond to questions in those regards. Natural disasters are not going away any time soon—and the days of practicing casualty events and unscheduled utility disruptions as standalone events are probably gone forever. Anything of a magnitude to stress a healthcare organization is likely going to be a series of events and complications, and those scenarios are best endured by a little pre-game planning and exercising.

About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a safety consultant with The Chartis Group. He brings more than 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is the author of HCPro's Hospital Safety Director's Handbook and is an advisory board member for Accreditation and Quality Compliance Center. Contact Steve at stevemacsafetyspace@gmail.com.