|
Share this:
|
|
Hurricane Harvey: More resources and opportunities to help Many hospitals and health systems in Texas and Louisiana continue to experience incredibly challenging and dangerous conditions caused by now Tropical Storm Harvey. The American Hospital Association (AHA) remains in close contact with our colleagues in Texas and Louisiana, as well as federal agencies, to provide support in response to this ongoing disaster. See below for opportunities to help, as well as post-hurricane health resources. Last week, the Nebraska Hospital Association Research and Educational Foundation made a $5,000 contribution to the Texas Hospital Association Employee Assistance Fund to help hospital employees who experienced significant property loss or damage because of Hurricane Harvey. All funds will be used to directly assist hospital employees in Federal Emergency Management Agency-designated disaster areas; administrative services are being provided in kind so that 100 percent of donated funds will be used to assist hospital employees. The AHA contributed an initial $50,000 to get the fund started. For more information or to donate click here.
Volunteering and donations for disaster areas
FEMA is asking individuals and organizations interested in volunteering or donating supplies to register through the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster or Texas VOAD using this web page. Hospital employees, doctors and other health care professionals who are interested in volunteering also should register through the VOAD so officials can determine the best use of resources.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has suspended all necessary statutes and rules to allow health care providers employed by a hospital and licensed and in good standing in another state to practice in Texas to assist with the Harvey disaster response operations. Hospitals must submit to the applicable licensing entity each out-of-state provider's name, provider type, state of license and license identification number. See specific instructions for hospital-affiliated providers and non-hospital affiliated physicians and providers on this web page. For nurses, see the licensing procedures on the Texas Board of Nursing web page. FEMA and the Department of Health and Human Services request that health care providers not self-deploy to impacted areas.
| |
CMS emergency preparedness rule reminders
| |
Cybersecurity update The National Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center is a trusted community of critical infrastructure owners and operators within the Health Care and Public Health Sector. Working in coordination with ASPR and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, the Center’s goal is to increase the cyber situational awareness for organizations of all sizes within the Health Care and Public Health Sector. The Center recently launched a website dedicated to improving cyber resiliency for Healthcare and Public Sector Information Technology professionals such as Chief Information Security Officers, Chief Information Officers, Analysts and Informatics Operations. Visit their site and subscribe for daily news briefs and Threat Level Protocol Green/White papers.
| |
2017 HIMSS cybersecurity survey The Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) published its 2017 Cybersecurity Survey results. The 2017 HIMSS Cybersecurity Survey provides insight into what health care organizations are doing to protect their information and assets, considering increasing cyberattacks and compromises affecting the health care sector. Findings from the 2017 HIMSS Cybersecurity Survey are based on the feedback from 126 qualified information security professionals from a variety of U.S. health care organizations.
| |
Fact sheet for health care providers: Interpreting assay test results for Zika virus This five-page document provides information about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s issuing of an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to authorize the use of the CII-ArboViroPlex rRT-PCR assay for the in vitro qualitative detection of Zika virus with specified instruments. This assay tests for Zika virus, dengue virus, chikungunya virus, and West Nile virus RNA in human serum. The assay also tests for Zika virus in urine, collected alongside a patient-matched serum specimen.
| |
Recommendations for PPE related to hazards from synthetic opioids This 14-page report provides background information about the increased illicit use of opioids, including synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and its analog carfentanil, which is a source of increased risk to responders. It recommends applying standard specifications, design attributes, test methods, and performance criteria when selecting personal protective equipment for first responders who may be occupationally exposed to synthetic opioids. It also provides a table of Definitions of Exposure Risk Levels and Operational Response Functions.
| |
Handheld spectral analyzer turns smartphone into diagnostic tool Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed technology that enables a smartphone to perform lab-grade medical diagnostic tests that typically require large, expensive instruments. Costing only $550, the spectral transmission-reflectance-intensity (TRI)-Analyzer from Bioengineering and Electrical & Computer Engineering Professor Brian Cunningham's lab attaches to a smartphone and analyzes patient blood, urine, or saliva samples as reliably as clinic-based instruments that cost thousands of dollars. Click here to read more.
| |
October 11-13, 2017
Lodge of the Four Seasons
Lake Ozark, Missouri
The Missouri Hospital Association will be hosting a conference with national experts who will share strategies and lessons learned related to natural disasters and safety incidents. Attendees will learn strategies to enhance established emergency management programs, as well as integrate preparedness initiatives into daily hospital operations. For those working in emergency preparedness, this conference is a must!
Click here to learn more or register now.
| |
Report examines cost of community violence on health care security, other operations Community violence cost U.S. hospitals and health systems an estimated $2.7 billion in 2016, according to a new report from the American Hospital Association (AHA). Specifically, the authors found that hospitals and health systems spent $1.1 billion on security and training to prevent violence in hospitals; $852 million caring for victims of violence; $429 million on medical care, staffing, indemnity and other costs related to violence against hospital employees; and $280 million on preparedness and prevention of community violence.
| |
CMS issues memo for fire and smoke door testing requirements The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a new memo related to fire and smoke door annual testing requirements in health care occupancies. CMS states that fire door assemblies must be inspected and tested annually in accordance with National Fire Protection Association 80: Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives. Non-rated doors and assemblies, however, are not subject to these requirements, but should be routinely inspected as part of a facility's maintenance program. Full compliance with the 2010 edition of NFPA 80 is required by Jan. 1.
| |
Video release: When Lightning Strikes: How to Recognize and Respond to an Extreme Violence Event Considering the recent acts of violence around the world, it was important that this program reflect more threats than the stereotypical Active Shooter in the workplace. CPPS has released WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES – a video which engages multiple threats like armed threats, bomb threats, knife threats and vehicle threats. And since these events continue to occur in locations outside of the standard workplace, we’re including scenes that range from arenas, malls, movie theaters, campuses, houses of worship and workplaces. This program is designed to increase the confidence of people in workplaces, but we also recognize the value this program has for the entire family of your organization's employees. As part of an Enterprise License purchase, this program will be authorized for families to be able to view as well! This video program is designed to help individuals, including children ages 12 and up, to become stakeholders in their own safety and security by learning to: - Recognize early indicators that an Extreme Violence event may be about to occur.
- Understand how to become “Situationally Aware” of their surroundings without being paranoid.
- Understand the difference between how “trained’ and “untrained” individuals respond in a crisis.
- Understand the role individuals have in surviving the “Extreme Danger Gap” - the time-frame from the onset of violence until the arrival of Law Enforcement.
- Understand key individual response strategies for surviving an Extreme Violence event.
- Know what to do when Law Enforcement arrives.
Click here for more information. Download the flyer.
| |
ACMT and AACT position statement: Preventing occupational fentanyl and fentanyl analog exposure to emergency responders The National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) has announced its endorsement of a new American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) and American Academy of Clinical Toxicology (AACT) document detailing pragmatic and actionable safety precautions for first responders in opioid overdose situations. Read the full document here.
| |
|
October 11-13, 2017
Lake Ozark, Missouri
AHEEP Annual Conference
November 8-9, 2017
| |
|
Follow NHA Emergency Preparedness News on Twitter Follow us on Twitter to obtain updates on the latest information related to preparedness, readiness and other related issues. @NHA_EPNEWS
| |
|
|
|
|
|
3255 Salt Creek Circle Suite 100 | Lincoln, NE 68504 US
|
|
