Emergency Preparedness in Long Term Care Settings
Emergency Preparedness is essential for ensuring the safety and well-being for residents in long-term care (LTC) settings. This page offers comprehensive resources to support administrators, healthcare professionals, and caregivers in developing an Emergency Preparedness program. These resources are vetted and offer sector-specific guidance.
Additionally, if your facility needs any help with any aspect of your Emergency Preparedness program (including planning, exercise development, or post-survey corrective actions) RCS has a dedicated Emergency Preparedness Coordinator to assist. Please contact Richard.Freed@dshs.wa.gov for any questions.
Resources
Below are links that may assist in preparing your facilities for emergencies.
- Minnesota Long-Term Care Emergency Preparedness
Minnesota has developed a variety of templates, toolkits, and other resources to assist in developing an emergency preparedness program within Long-Term Care settings. - CMS-Emergency Preparedness Rule
This landing site for the Emergency Preparedness rule from the Center for Medicate & Medicaid Services provides surveyors, providers, and suppliers guidance on adopting emergency preparedness rules. Includes link to the full Appendix Z-Emergency Preparedness Rule for All Provider and Certified Interpretive Guidance. - QSEP Emergency Preparedness Basic Training
Center for Medi Training program to establish knowledge on Federal Emergency Preparedness Standards. - Nursing Home Incident Command System
California Association of Health Facilities has developed a Nursing Home specific incident command system to allow for facilities to respond to all hazards. The above link includes training materials, planning documents, and exercise templates as well. - US Human Health & Services Emergency Management Resources
Variety of resources for emergency preparedness, including technical material for Long-Term Care Facilities - Northwest Healthcare Response Network
Northwest Healthcare Response Network (NWHRN) is the healthcare coalition for Washington State. NWHRN is responsible for coordinating regional response to healthcare emergencies across the state. Their website also has a variety of resources for your emergency preparedness program. - Critical Staffing Management in LTC Settings
- Critical Staffing Management in LTC Settings Guide
- Preparing for Wildfire and Extreme Heat in LTC Settings
- Emergency Preparedness Workbook for Adult Family Homes
- Planning for People with Disabilities and Others with Access and Functional Needs Toolkit
- Healthcare Facilities and Power Outages