State of emergency?!

[MomRN0913]

I live in Nj and am waiting to get smacked by sandy. I'm waiting to hear back from my company back on this, but does anyone know if there is. State of emergency if we have have to work?The though of driving around with with hurricane force sustained winds nd having a tree fall on my car , or me while going into someone's house scares the crap out of me and I'm not really willing to do it. I live in a bad flood zone and the towns I visit re likewise.Just wondering if there ws chalky regulations on this!

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

You need to find out if you have been declared essential employee , but that usually applies to the hospital or LTC setting as far as nurses being permitted on the road.

When I worked in research the nurse manager declared that nurses were permitted on the road in a state of emergency and several received tickets for being on the road (and lost the fight in court as health normal patients doing voluntary research did not meet the OEM definition of a mandated nursing patient).

Each patient should have an emergency plan in place. I do extended care HH for pediatrics, each of my patients has an emergency plan as to who can use family resources in an emergency and who requires skilled nursing in an emergency (ie. case too complex for family to care safely for patient). Plans include local shelter resources and ensure local OEM is aware of special needs, including power company notification of specialized medical equipment. There are only a select few nurses (often the trach/vent nurses) that have been declared essential employees.

When my grandmother was admitted to HH, we had to sign an emergency plan that we would provide her care in the event of a state of emergency declaration and they created a "go bag" list of supplies that we needed to take with us (nebulizer, medications, oxygen tanks, cannula, etc.) and ensured we had a bag ready just in case.

I just checked NJ OEM and your employer has to declare and register you as an "essential employee" for you to be permitted on the road in a state of emergency (BEFORE an emergency is declared). You would be issued an official ID declaring you an essential employee.

Check your employee handbook for emergency procedures.

[suanniam4]

Im in the midwest, and when theres a snowstorm, I call my pt to check on

them, and if there ok I will visit them the next day. Most of them are worried

sick about you if you go out in the storm anyway. Document you contacted them

or family and write a missed visit. Your HH should have a triage # assigned to

each pt also. They should be involved now and not dumping the responsibility on

you like many agencies do. Please stay safe, its scary enough driving in traffic on

a good day here in Chicago!!

[suanniam4]

Also, if freq is 2xw, you could make it thurs, sat this week and still be in

compliance?