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Emergency Management Alert

Issue 51, December 18, 2007

• CDP course covers healthcare leadership for all-hazards response

  Follow this link to find out about healthcare leadership instruction offered early next year...

• Keeping up with EC.5.40: The secret to survey readiness

  Last week, we told you about the Washington, DC, hospital that lost its accreditation in part...

• CDC halts program that would fund follow-up care to 9/11 workers

  The CDC has called a stop to a program that would fund some medical care for 9/11 workers now...

• CDC halts program providing follow-up care to 9/11 workers

  The CDC has called a stop to a program that would fund some medical care for 9/11 workers now...

• Seattle honored for EM employee education program

  The Seattle Office of Emergency Management has been awarded the Technology and Innovation Award by...

Issue 50, December 11, 2007

• HHS releases new tools to aid local pan-flu preparedness

  When representatives from community organizations ask you how they can take part in pan-flu...

• Joint Commission yanks accreditation from DC facility; emergency systems cited

  Greater Southeast Community Hospital in Washington, DC, has lost its Joint Commission accreditation...

• CMS issues updates to EMTALA regs, IC guidelines

  CMS has been busy updating items relating to emergency management.

• It's "High Noon" for lazy Americans

  Folks, it's time for the weekly reminder that we're all doomed. This week, the toll of the bell...

Issue 49, December 4, 2007

• Prepared for The Joint Commission's 2008 standards? Great. What about 2009?

  "If The Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO) ratifies its proposed EC standard revisions as written...

• Kids in Disasters bill now in Senate

  A bill to establish a national commission on children and disasters, the Kids in Disasters...

• Tip of the week: Make bikers part of your EM team

  This story from MRC in Focus, the quarterly newsletter of the national Medical Reserve Corps (MRC...

• You and the MRC: Planning for a pandemic

  And while we're on the topic of the MRC, this might be a good time to refer you to their pan-flu...

Issue 48, November 27, 2007

• Report: EMS workers high on speed, low on safety

  A November 26 story from an NBC affiliate about an ambulance allegedly running...

• Update: Regulating high-risk chemicals

  In the November 20 Federal Register, the Department of Homeland Security...

• FEMA sleeps with the fishes

  Amid more more news--sigh--of the FEMA spending scandal is this Katrina-related New York...

• Emergency volunteers in MA cut through red tape to ease planning tasks

  Volunteer emergency coordinators in western Massachusetts overwhelmed by planning tasks asked the...

Issue 47, November 20, 2007

• Study: Workplace bullying continues unabated

  In the world of emergency management, practical jokes are part of the culture. For many, gags are a...

• HHS manual aims to teach community to communicate with responders

  Hospital emergency planners are often asked to reach out to members of the community to aid in...

• Measuring policy vs. compassion in enforcing smoking bans

  Here's a link to a story about a growing trend of hospitals banning smoking from their campuses.

• Hazmat spill result of a job half-done; or, what would HANYS do?

  This month a worker at a Ravenna, OH hospital accidentally knocked over a vial of mercury while...

Issue 46, November 12, 2007

• Pan-flu checklist for long-term care

  Does it ever seem as though coverage of pan-flu focuses too heavily on stategies for...

• National Weather Service competing with private sector a good idea?

  After Hurricane Katrina, weather reporting became a very big deal. This story from Steve Forbes on...

• "While you're at it, could you pick me up a scratch ticket and some pork rinds?"

  Brian Poulin of Hebron, CT, was arrested November 4 after police said he repeatedly called 911...

• NC EMTs tweak dispatch to ease processing of bariatric calls

  We know without being told that you woke up this morning wondering, "Whatever happened to that...

• NC EMTs tweak dispatch to ease processing of bariatric calls

  We know without being told that you woke up this morning wondering, "Whatever happened to that...

Issue 45, November 6, 2007

• HHS puts spotlight on itself in assessment of preparedness

  This month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released The Pandemic and...

• WHO's Chan: Bird-flu still a threat despite strong countermeasures

  World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Margaret Chan said this week that the risk of an...

• Report: Turf wars crippled 9/11 response

  A report issued last month through the RAND Corporation says the response to the...

• Acess these pan-flu preparedness resources from Indian Health Service

  Pandemic planning resources for Native American populations can be found by following this link...

Issue 44, October 30, 2007

• San Diego hospitals enact mutual aid post-haste

  While fires moved through San Diego last week, area hospitals wasted no time in enacting evacuation...

• San Diego moves evacuees from stadium to Del Mar Fairgrounds

  Wildfire victims who were still under evacuation orders or whose homes were destroyed were sent...

• Schwarzenegger approves emergency funding for rescue workers

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday announced that the U.S. Department of Labor approved...

• CA community takes charge with bucket brigades

  The author of this October 26 posting on a blog associated with the CA American Lung Association...

Issue 43, October 23, 2007

• Share your tale of woe with the bartender

  Feeling blue, aren't you? We know--but not because we're sympathetic. We know because the federal...

• Resources for handling kidney patients during a disaster

  Is your hospital adequately prepared to handle the needs of kidney patients during a disaster? 

• NY recall of respirators tightens focus on PPE, recalls IOM report

  When we read this news story about how New York State's Office of Homeland Security recalled 35,000...

• Sample checklist, EC 5.40, part 2

  Staying up to date with The Joint Commission’s standard EC.5.40, which requires hospitals to...

Issue 42, October 16, 2007

• Firefighters face backdraft of controversy in privacy fight

  Last week, the Boston media was ablaze with stories revealing that two firefighters who died in a...

• Sample checklist for EC 5.40, part 1

  Staying up to date with the Joint Commission's standard EC.5.40, which requires hospitals to...

• How one city marked National Preparedness Month

  September was National Preparedness Month. How did your facility mark the occasion?

• Seeking a one-shot solution to anthrax threat

  The effort to develop a new anthrax vaccine continues. The Public Library of Science posted these...

Issue 41, October 8, 2007

• Top med techs: AP lab-errors report accurate

  This week news outlets ran an Associated Press report on needlesticks, bites, and other...

• MMWR: Many elderly admitted after suicide-related ED visits

  Older adults are more likely than younger adults to be hospitalized following emergency department...

• Calif. ED traffic stats only a click away

  This week's San Diego Union Tribune features a story of one doctor's attempt to encourage hospitals...

• City gov't says staph a work-related injury

  Some cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among firefighters and police...

Issue 40, October 2, 2007

• Book excerpt: Case management in the ED, part 2

  "Being an active part of the entire [emergency] department is essential for ED case managers and...

• Updated resource list for seasonal and pan-flu planning

  Here's a resource list we thought might help you in your planning for The Joint Commission's new...

• Now it's the EMTs who are behaving badly

  A story in this week's Staten Island (NY) Advance has it all--drunken late-night phone calls, abuse...

• Government, industry strive for EM communications standards

  A report from the Boston Business Wire says that the international emergency response community has...

Issue 39, September 25, 2007

• Book excerpt: Case management in the ED, Part 1

  "Case management in the ED has become more than classic social work or discharge planning," say...

• FDNY report: 9/11 responders used improper masks, respirators

  We've heard many reports of the respiratory illnesses among rescue workers who responded to the...

• New call-routing hardware on way to storm areas

  According to a September 24 Wall Street Journal story, Aztek Networks started shipping its...

• House plans hearing to probe OSHA disaster response enforcement

  Congress plans to take a closer look at OSHA's response to national disasters to examine whether...

• House calls for hearing on OSHA disaster response enforcement

  Congress plans to take a closer look at OSHA's response to national disasters to examine whether...

Issue 38, September 17, 2007

• St. Paul hospital plans $24M emergency room expansion

  With money from a planned bond sale and philanthropic donations, United Hospital in St. Paul...

• Kiosks smooth ED traffic at Dallas' Parkland Memorial

  In the latest story on the use of ED kiosks, staff at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas say that...

• OSHA asks public for input on emergency response standard

  OSHA wants to update its emergency response standards and is calling upon the public for help. It...

• The Summer of Love is never-ending, apparently

  Many of those who did drugs in the Sixties haven't stopped--or won't, according to a story this...

Issue 37, September 11, 2007

• August a busy month for raconteurs and reprobates

  August, it seems, was a particularly busy month for the morally challenged. We could barely keep up.

• Q & A: Suicide risk assessment, part 3

  The Joint Commission's inclusion of suicide-risk assessment as a National Patient Safety Goal...

• GAO: DHS' post-9/11 homeland security efforts middling, at best

  A report just out from the GAO says that, with the exception of maritime security, our borders...

• Osama bin Laden tape expected today

  This past week Al-jazeera's English site offered a story about how our government is studying...

Issue 36, September 4, 2007

• CDC Report Correction

  Oops, sorry folks: We go 100 miles an hour at HCPro, and sometimes facts fly out the window.

• Q& A: Suicide Risk Assessment, Part 2

  The Joint Commission's inclusion of suicide-risk assessment as a National Patient Safety Goal...

• Book Excerpt, Part 2: Hot Topics in Emergency Management

  These days, the world of emergency management is awash with new information--creating a new risk...

• Pan-Flu Planning $ Breakdown

  To see who is getting how much of the $75 million the Department of Health and Human Services is...

Issue 35, August 28, 2007

• Midwest Flood Watch: Operations Report

  Here's a quick sum-up of how this month’s floods in the Midwest affected the operations of...

• Retail Clinics Treat the Usual Runny Noses, Rheumy Eyes

  Ever wonder how the type and volume of business at retail clinics may compare with your...

• Q & A: Suicide Risk Assessment in the ED, Part 1

  The Joint Commission's inclusion of suicide-risk assessment as a 2007 National Patient Safety Goal...

• Book Excerpt: Hot Topics in Emergency Management

  These days, the world of emergency management is awash with new information-creating a new risk...

• CDC: Hospitals Quick in Revising EM Plans but Ventilator Shortage Persists

  Work at a nonprofit or proprietary hospital? Figures released this week from the CDC show your...

Issue 34, August 21, 2007

• Reminder: Hazmat EM Workshop, Sept. 4-7

  The Continuing Challenge Hazmat Emergency Response Workshop will host a healthcare track this month.

• BLS: Workplace Fatalities Drop, But Not Among Firefighters

  Fatalities in protective services occupations increased 6 percent in 2006, according to a report...

• Tracer Methodology: The Environment of Care Tour

  Since the introduction two years ago of tracer methodology, which now constitutes 60 to 80 percent...

Issue 33, August 13, 2007

• Venom ER

  There are times when even writers for HCPro have their day's-fill of regulation and compliance...

• Full Recovery in New Orleans Estimated 15 Years

  Those who catch the August 20 edition of Fortune might take note of the real-life reference to the...

• Q& A: Drug management and Medical Decision-making

  From HCPro's coding network comes this Q&A about drug management: Q: Can you provide a clear...

Issue 32, August 6, 2007

• Ways to reduce firefighter heart attacks

  According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), sudden cardiac...

• Bridge collapse puts hospitals to the test

  More than eight hospitals in the Minneapolis area were put to the test last week when a bridge...

• Keeping tabs on CDC’s pandemic planning

  If you’re involved with emergency management at your facility, you’ve no doubt had an...

Issue 31, July 30, 2007

• Communication is critical

  When an emergency strikes healthcare organizations must immediately mobilize personnel, treat...

• Connecticut towns coordinate

  The state of Connecticut recently simulated a massive catastrophe in an effort to coordinate the...

• Prepare for a mass casualty event

  According to the CDC, the most severe injuries in mass casualty events are fractures, burns...

Issue 30, July 23, 2007

• New preparedness tool from AHRQ

  The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a new tool to aid first...

• Coping with traumatic stress

  Emergency responders are the ones everyone turns to when disaster strikes, but it is important to...

• Asbestos found after steam pipe blast

  A steam pipe explosion in New York City recalled shades of 9/11 last week and, while the event...

Issue 29, July 16, 2007

• HHS provides $430 million to enhance emergency preparedness

  In an effort to aid healthcare facilities’ response to bioterror attacks, infectious...

• Take note: Fit-testing rules are changing

  Three years of violation immunity for healthcare facilities when it comes to tuberculosis...

• Work the press into your plan

  During a federal Webcast, the CDC stressed the importance of incorporating the media into your...

Issue 28, July 9, 2007

• AHA survey unveils disaster planning trends

  A new survey from the American Hospital Association (AHA) shows that hospitals are taking disaster...

• OSHA highlights hurricane resources

  Different types of emergency situations require different approaches for emergency workers. A...

• Modular units help hospital reopen

  Disasters such as tornados and earthquakes can wreak terrible havoc, particularly when they damage...

Issue 27, June 29, 2007

• New homeland security rule will likely affect hospitals

  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) hopes a new regulation will shore up security for...

• The Joint Commission releases final emergency management revisions

  The Joint Commission has published final revisions to its emergency management requirements. The...

• New report examines ED care

  Press Ganey Associates, Inc.'s 2007 Emergency Department Pulse Report: Patient Perspectives on...

Issue 26, June 25, 2007

• AMA unveils new disaster journal

  A new journal from the American Medical Association (AMA) will set its sights on the topics of...

• CDC offers disaster surveillance tools

  During a disaster, is your organization using disaster-related mortality reports? The CDC...

• HHS delivers Virginia Tech. report

  The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has compiled a report in the aftermath of the...

Issue 25, June 18, 2007

• Unloading delays cause availability problems

  The time it takes for emergency personnel to unload a patient at a hospital's emergency department...

• Emergency room death raises red flags

  A woman who died from a perforated bowel after writhing in pain on the floor of a Los Angeles...

• Emergency pandemic planning gets a boost

  The Department of Health and Human Services recently awarded two contracts to expand the domestic...

Issue 24, June 11, 2007

• Provide feedback on emergency responder field guide

  FEMA's National Incident Management System (NIMS) is developing a guide intended to help manage...

• State of New York announces emergency initiatives

  Alerting the public and enhancing emergency response are the goals of two new initiatives recently...

• Improving crash responses

  The CDC and the CDC Foundation have partnered with GM/OnStar to research how emergency personnel...

Issue 23, June 4, 2007

• New Jersey looks at cardiac care

  In an emergency situation, both emergency personnel and the patient are eager for the best...

• Workers' comp for emergency personnel debated

  A legislative panel in Connecticut has approved a bill that would make it easier for certain types...

• FEMA training in New Orleans

  Last week's FEMA training in New Orleans drew more than 700 emergency responders from nearly every...

Issue 22, May 29, 2007

• Keeping cell phones going during a disaster

  Cell phones have received their fair share of criticism over the years. Legislators are beginning...

• Rationing remains a touchy subject

  It is difficult to imagine making the decision to take a critically ill patient off of a...

• DHS announces frameworks to protect infrastructure

  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced the completion of 17 sector-specific plans...

Issue 21, May 21, 2007

• Identifying patients with special needs

  When a hurricane or a tornado is bearing down on a community, hospitals know they need to get ready...

• Terrorism can put emergency responders to the test

  The day-to-day jobs of law enforcement personnel and healthcare workers naturally intersect with...

• Defining an emergency

  Have you ever been left wondering what a "proxy event" actually entails? Has the difference between...

Issue 20, May 14, 2007

• Traumatic incidents can put emergency workers at risk

  During a disaster, emergency personnel are the first ones to wade into a potentially dangerous...

• Respirators approved for public health emergencies

  Respirators for use during public health medical emergencies, such as an influenza pandemic were...

Issue 20, May 14, 2007

• Proposed revisions available for feedback

  The Joint Commission has posted the proposed revisions to the IC standards chapter of the...

Issue 19, May 7, 2007

• AHRQ releases emergency planning assessment tool

  With such recent and catastrophic public emergencies such as Hurricane Katrina and the terrorist...

• Health hazard found at emergency call center

  A recent evaluation of 911 emergency operators and police dispatchers at two call centers in New...

• CMS guidance says nearly all hospitals must provide emergency services

  CMS guidance issued last week clarified that nearly all hospitals who participate in the Medicare...

Issue 18, April 30, 2007

• Even small-scale incidents can test your ED's mettle

  It's not every day that your ED must handle a massive influx of patients from a single...

• A storm is rising in Rhode Island

  As we speak (or, in this case, read) emergency officials in Rhode Island are preparing to deal with...

• Georgia hospital beefs up ER security

  The Houston Medical Center in Warner Robins, GA, is increasing security by hiring an armed city...

Issue 17, April 23, 2007

• Panel will review emergency response in Virginia Tech shootings

  Can emergency responders and healthcare providers learn lessons from the tragic shootings on...

• State law aims to protect healthcare workers

  Dealing with difficult, abusive, or even violent patients is an unfortunate part of the job for...

• Intranasal delivery: Can it go mainstream?

  Emergency personnel know the scenario: responders arrive on scene to find a patient in extreme...

• When terror strikes, you must be prepared

  When terrorist's bombs exploded on four Madrid commuter trains in March of 2004, the toll was...

Issue 16, April 18, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

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• Manage stress with CDC's Surviving Field Stress for First Responders

  A recent study calls to mind a 2005 CDC manual that describes in simple language the physical...

• Five minute consult: Point of care testing

  Frank Kaeberlein, M.D., the chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Mercy Medical...

• "Survey says!" We still ain't ready--for anything.

  This week, the CDC's Public Health Law News reported that a survey-from the American Public Health...

• Safety net system consolidates trauma, ER, acute-care services

  FRESNO: The Central Valley's only Level 1 trauma center and regional burn unit relocated to 457-bed...

• Safety net system consolidates trauma, ER, acute-care services

  FRESNO: The Central Valley's only Level 1 trauma center and regional burn unit relocated to 457-bed...

Issue 15, April 10, 2007

• Tip of the week: Public health disaster conference

  Tip of the week: Public health disaster conference

• First responders' corner: U.S. ports not up to par in all-hazards functionality

  A March report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) examining risk management in...

• In the news: Former FEMA chief tells KU audience Katrina not his fault

  Michael Brown is in the news again--this time for saying that the Bush administration turned a...

• Violence in the workplace: How to to stay safe

  One of the nasty realities of working in the ED is that you could be attacked by a patient. Full of...

Issue 14, April 3, 2007

• Q&A: Cellphone use in the hospital

  Does The Joint Commission specifically address the use of cell phones in the hospital as a whole or...

• Reporter bagged while posing as a baby-snatcher

  Reporter bagged while posing as a baby-snatcher. She was arrested on suspicion of attempted...

• ACEP gives thumbs-up to Congress for ED bill

  The American College of Emergency Physicians has "heralded" the introduction of the Access to...

• New ED G codes leave some questions unanswered

  New ED G codes leave some questions unanswered

Issue 13, March 27, 2007

• The Joint Commission will extend its e-PFI deadline to September 1

  The Joint Commission will extend a deadline to September 1, 2007, to import certain plans for...

• EC.5.20 violations: What's the disconnect?

  Why are there so many violations relating to EC.5.20, designing and maintaining new EC...

• First responders' corner: "Caution! Wide Load."

  First responders are notorious for catching dinner on the fly. The next time you pull the bus up to...

• In the News: Biosafety 3 lab in Boston evacuated

  Just weeks after EMA reported that laboratorians said U.S. clinical labs are not prepared for...

Issue 12, March 20, 2007

• Handling IC.6.10 is all about asking the right questions

  You know that The Joint Commission's infection control standard IC.6.10 says that, as part of your...

• Bombs and explosions preparedness webcast 3/27

  The South Central Center for Public Health Preparedness and the Alabama Department of Public Health...

• Patient-restraints debate in this week's news

  Restraints-related issues in the news include the penalties levied against a care center for the...

• Q & A: Recommendation for reporting restraints-related deaths

  Sue Dill-Calloway, RN, MSN, JD, is the director of hospital risk management for OHIC Insurance...

Issue 11, March 13, 2007

• First Responders' Corner: Is your bird-flu awareness campaign working?

  The outrageous conditions at Walter Reed and the military health care system shortfall illustrate a...

• First Responders' Corner: Is your bird-flu awareness campaign working?

  The outrageous conditions at Walter Reed and the military health care system shortfall illustrate a...

• First Responders' Corner: Is your bird-flu awareness campaign working?

  In some places, apparently not.

• Disaster animal response training dates for 2007

  How can you help citizens in your response area take care of their animals in a disaster? The...

• Cell phones delay Enterprise rescue efforts

  Tales of problems with radio communications are almost routine in the days after a disaster. This...

• Tip of the Week: Hire a Medical Translation Firm

  Jay Leno never fails to get a laugh from the audience when he shows a menu or product on...

• What would you do if an imposter entered your facility?

  In Environment of Care: Guide to the JCAHO's Management Plans, 3rd Edition (HCPro, 2006), Huser...

Issue 10, March 5, 2007

• Guard Killed in NO FEMA Park

  A security guard at a FEMA trailer park was shot to death Monday in the latest violence to wrack...

• Guard Killed in NO FEMA Park

  A security guard at a FEMA trailer park was shot to death Monday in the latest violence to wrack...

Issue 9, February 26, 2007

• How to tell if your lab tech is an imposter

  As if you don't have enough trouble with people pretending to be Joint Commission inspectors, you...

• Tip of the Week: Make the Joint Commission happy-Find a Jeep

  Staff can't get to work during an emergency? Enlist the help of a local off-road riding club.

• EMT gets heat for posting treatment pics on Net

  A Kentucky paramedic is in trouble for posting pictures of injured patients on MySpace site.

• In the News: Guard Killed in NO FEMA Park

  March 5: NEW ORLEANS - A security guard at a FEMA trailer park was shot to death Monday in the...

• How-To: Manage use of magnetic locks in an emergency

  Q: I work in a forensic unit which employs use of magnetic locks. My understanding of the Life...

Issue 6, February 6, 2007

• ABA burn referral criteria

  Here are referral criteria from the American Burn Association. Patients with the following should...

Issue 1, January 2, 2007

• VA, MD emergencyrews carry new authorization IDs

  Counties in Virginia and Maryland are now carrying special first-responder authorization...

• Katrina-inspired security bill falters

  In a year that saw the passage of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, a bill that...

Issue 34, August 21, 2007

• NYC Deutsche Bank Fire: New Details

  This story from the media site Gothamist features multi-faceted coverage of the fire on Saturday at...