Planning for Dooms Day Scenario

[1Tulip]

Like lots of people, I've read the accounts of hospital melt-down after Katrina (and admired the the courage of nurses and docs who put all they had into saving their patients.) But it made me wonder... what can we learn from this?

One obvious lesson is don't be in harm's way. Get pts out before the storm!!! But what if your dooms day can't be anticipated? We live in an earthquake zone and have huge (HUGE!) dams up hill and up stream from us. Conceivably we could be washed away in a few minutes time. Of course, it's not just us...terrorists could strike almost anywhere as well. Do hospitals have plans for situations where the cavalry cannot come and save the day, for times when patients and care givers are cut off from outside help?

We saw that back-up generators can only hold you for so long. What happens when the power goes out? This is an issue I am really curious about. Not just because of vents. Increasingly, all data is being kept electronically. Even if pts survive or could be transported out... they become blank slates, their condition and the care they've recieved are essentially lost.

When civilized society breaks down, will my hospital be able to set up a "defensible perimeter" and keep me and my patients safe?

I don't believe anyone at our hospitals are thinking the really dire thoughts. Is anyone out there looking into this sort of thing? What are you all planning for?

Your thoughts much appreciated.

[papawjohn]

Hey Tulip

Here in Florida, the official thinking is that we'll only ('only') be on our own for three days maximum. And that Hospitals would be an early (whatever early means) focus of outside assistance. When hurricane Charley took a big bite out out of Naples and PuntaGorda the Lee County Hospital lost its roof. We got a couple of their vented Pts in our ICU--so somehow they made it to us.

In today's political climate it seems kinda hard to trust the FEMA folks. (Hand over mouth--pledge to not divert into politics!!) But it's actually seemed to work for us for the last couple of years. (The Bush 41 administration took a lot of abuse after hurricane David--I think it was--tore up Homestead in '91. It seems that Gov Jeb Bush has got the lesson down pat.)

I bet those 2 or 3 days will seem like a real LOOOOONG time if we ever have to do it. But here in Fla we haven't had the kind of civil disorders that apparently happened in N.O.La.

Papaw John

[Judee Smudee, ADN, RN]

Hey Tulip

Here in Florida, the official thinking is that we'll only ('only') be on our own for three days maximum. And that Hospitals would be an early (whatever early means) focus of outside assistance. When hurricane Charley took a big bite out out of Naples and PuntaGorda the Lee County Hospital lost its roof. We got a couple of their vented Pts in our ICU--so somehow they made it to us.

In today's political climate it seems kinda hard to trust the FEMA folks. (Hand over mouth--pledge to not divert into politics!!) But it's actually seemed to work for us for the last couple of years. (The Bush 41 administration took a lot of abuse after hurricane David--I think it was--tore up Homestead in '91. It seems that Gov Jeb Bush has got the lesson down pat.)

I bet those 2 or 3 days will seem like a real LOOOOONG time if we ever have to do it. But here in Fla we haven't had the kind of civil disorders that apparently happened in N.O.La.

Papaw John

During the Katrina fiasco I heard a lot of doctors and nurses who once believed they would recieve help in three days lamenting the fact that help never arrived. They also believed that they would be first on the list to recieve help in a dooms day situation. That did not happen either.