As Hurricane Laura recently threatened the Gulf Coasts of Texas and Louisiana, the memory of the havoc wreaked by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma on Texas and Florida nursing homes a few years ago was the deciding factor for about 64 Texas facilities that evacuated their residents.
However, for one facility that was free of COVID-19, the fear of reintroducing the virus after suffering through a Coronavirus outbreak that infected 55 residents and caused 17 deaths influenced the decision to shelter in place. That facility also relied on the fact that it had never flooded in the past.
Because of the COVID-19 crisis, evacuation of residents was more difficult. One CEO of a company operating multiple Texas facilities reported that to ensure that COVID-19 residents were kept separated from non-infected ones, twice as many buses, ambulances, and other vehicles were needed to evacuate about 350 of the residents in four of that companyās homes. Additionally, staff members had to wear personal protective gear (PPE) and the emergency plans of where residents could be placed was affected since some of those facilities were not accepting infected residents.
A spokesman from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission reported that facilities under mandatory evacuation orders had to scramble to move residents inland as the hurricane approached. About 1,500 residents from 64 long-term facilities in Texas were evacuated. Louisiana evacuated over 800 residents in 11 of that stateās nursing home. āJust when you think it couldnāt get worse, thereās this,ā said the spokesman.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, facilities have had to adapt their Emergency Preparedness Plans to deal with the prevention measures needed to avoid the spread of contagious viruses like the Coronavirus.
Compliance Perspective
Failure to assess and incorporate infection control, e.g., COVID-19 requirements, into the emergency evacuation protocols of a facilityās Emergency Preparedness Plan may place residents and staff in jeopardy for the spread of the infection and be considered a violation of state and federal regulations.
Discussion Points:
- Review the policies and procedures in the facilityās Emergency Preparedness Plan to ensure they include guidelines for PPE, number of vehicles needed to transport evacuated residents, alternate relocation facilities, and other specifics associated with a pandemic such as COVID-19 during an emergency evacuation.
- Train staff on any changes made to the facilityās Emergency Preparedness Plan in response to controlling the spread of an infection like COVID-19.
- Periodically audit the facilityās ability to conduct evacuations while maintaining infection control guidelines, e.g., COVID-19, through mock evacuation drills.
