Function 2 Assessment of Immediate Medical and Health Needs
and Initiation of LEMSA
Roles: Preparedness - Response Function Objective Prepare and establish a system to (1) provide a
rapid evaluation of the acute medical and health needs immediately following a
disaster and the ability of the healthcare infrastructure in the impacted
area to meet those needs; and, (2) notify the Medical/Health Operational
Area Coordinator and other entities required to activate a response.
e Response
Element 2.1
Procedures
for gathering, evaluating, reporting,
and disseminating assessment information.
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LEMSAs
should develop plans and procedures to collect information from the following
sources:
·County OES
·9-1-1 System
·Sheriff’s Department and other law enforcement
agencies
·Fire and EMS Agencies
·News media
·County government public and environmental health
field staff
·Hospitals
·Residents
·Other sources
LEMSAs
should develop plans and procedures that ensure the rapid and ongoing
collection of the following information following a disaster:
·Estimates of casualties and acute medical care
needs.
·Location of casualties and damage.
·Medical response system capabilities including:
oHospital status and capacity
oStatus of other medical care facilities
oCapabilities of pre-hospital medical care providers
oHazards representing threats to life and health
oWeather, road, and other conditions that affect the
ability of the medical system to respond
·RIMS Medical/Health Status Report data.
LEMSAs
should develop procedures to evaluate the accuracy of information gathered
through initial and ongoing assessments.
Critical
medical/health status and resource availability information should be reported
to / shared among the following:
·OACMH and/or Health Officer
·RDMHC/RDMHS
·State of California
·EOC Medical Branch
·Operational Area EOC
·Department Operation Center
Element 2.21:
Notificationy of key positions of and activation of the disaster
medical and
health system
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Standard: |
LEMSAs
shall ensure the development and testing of plans, criteria, policies, procedures,
and structures, and related training for the notification of key positions
and organizations of the disaster medical and health response system. |
LEMSA plans for notification
of key positions of disaster medical and health system should include:
·
Ensuring county has a
24-hour point of contact with at least two means of communications capable of
two-way communications with local, regional, and state government agencies and
officials with emergency management responsibilities; hospitals and other
healthcare entities; and, individuals who are to be notified in the event of a
medical or health disaster.
·
Maintaining an up-to-date
contact list for disaster medical and health system alert and activation which
should include the Director, Local EMS Agency, Local Health Officer(s),
Environmental Health Director(s), Director, Local Health Agency, Local
Emergency Management Agency, their back-ups, and others as required by local
plans and policies.
LEMSAs should ensure the
development of plans and procedures for activation of the medical
response when requested or authorized
by appropriate Operational Area authorities. Plans and procedures should include:
·
Designation of staff to
report to Operational Area EOC.
·
Criteria for activation of Departmental Operations
Center.
·
Provisions for rapid analysis
of intelligence to determine appropriate scale of initial activation of medical
resources.
·
Provisions
for rapid orientation of EOC and DOC staff to response situation and to SEMS organization.
Designation
of staff reporting sites in event of communications failure.
·
Element 2.2 Gathering,
evaluating, reporting, and disseminating assessment information.
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Standard: |
LEMSAs shall ensure the
establishment of policies for: (1) acquiring and analyzing information on the
medical situation of the Operational Area, the status of major health
facilities and other resources, and the immediate medical needs of the OA and
(2) submitting requested reports to the Medical/Health OAC, other operations
within the Operational Area, and the Regional Disaster Medical/Health
Coordinator. |
LEMSAs should develop plans
and procedures to gather information from the
following sources:
·
County OES
·
9-1-1 System
·
Sheriff’s Department and other
law enforcement agencies
·
Fire and EMS Agencies
·
News media
·
County government public and
environmental health field staff
·
Hospitals
·
Residents
·
Other sources
ASSESSMENT OF NEED AND RESPONSE CAPACITY
I. PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to provide direction
guiding assessment of response needs and capacity.
II. AUTHORITY
Health and Safety Code, Division 2.5, Sections
1797.150-152
III. DEFINITIONS
A. 24-hour Answering Point means the dispatch agency designated to receive requests for the Medical/Health OAC.
B.
Central Point means the facility or agency designated in the Medical/Health Disaster
Plan to respond to requests for patient dispersal during multiple casualty
incidents or disasters.
C.
Medical/Health Operational Area Coordinator (OAC) means the individual responsible for the
coordination of medical and health resources and activities within the
operational area.
D.
Regional Information Management System (RIMS) means the Office of Emergency Services’ standardized
information management system, which provides a summary of regional status and
response information.
IV. POLICY
A.
Usual baseline
resources should be inventoried, including contact information, and maintained with
a mechanism established that provides for routine updating of status no less
often than yearly.
B.
Resources likely to
require rapid situation-specific assessment should be identified in a manner
that allows the 24 hour Answering Point (a dispatch agency), the Central Point
(determines patient destinations), or the Medical/Health OAC to gather the
anticipated information quickly and efficiently.
C.
Tools should be
designed to elicit information that is consistent with the Disaster Medical Services Guidelines and Standards document, Guideline
5.1.2. and meets the following criteria:
1.
Terminology and data
elements used by the RIMS Medical/Health Status report;
2.
Information,
capabilities that may be prescribed by the Medical/Health region; and
3.
Additional information
that will assist with local decision-making.
D.
Communication links
should be established that allow rapid dissemination of information from the
Medical/Health OAC, local OES office or LEMSA to fire, law, transport
providers, hospitals, and appropriate local officials.
1.
The goal of the link
is to facilitate communication of alerts, warnings, watches, and other system
information or to request resource information.
2. At least three routine methods of contact should be established, including the use of short-wave radio.
E.
Developed contact
information, assessment forms and communication links should be
1.
Tested and exercised
on a regular basis and
2.
Included in disaster
training at all levels and agencies.
V. CONSIDERATIONS
A.
Information gathering tools
should be designed to elicit the most likely categories of information clearly,
without requesting unneeded information.
B.
Categories of
information should be clear and limited.
For example, a central point attempting to determine ED capability should
not have to pick through ambulance availability or facility damage questions.
C.
Systems should be
designed, where possible, to be utilized to meet routine and disaster
communication needs.
LEMSAs
should develop plans and procedures that ensure the rapid and ongoing
collection and
verification of
the following information in accordance with SEMS following a disaster:
·
Estimates of casualties and
acute medical care needs.
·
Location of casualties and
damage.
·
Medical response system
capabilities including:
o
Hospital status and capability
o
Status of other medical care
facilities
o
Capabilities of pre-hospital
medical care providers
o Hazards
representing threats to life and health
o
Weather, road, and other
conditions that affect the ability of the medical system to respond
o
Immediate and short-term
needs.
·
RIMS Medical/Health Status
Report data.
Critical medical/health
status and resource availability information should be reported to / shared
among the following:
·
System resources (e.g.,
hospitals, pre-hospital providers, etc.)
·
Department Operation Center
·
MHOAC and/or Health Officer
·
EOC Medical/Health Branch
·
Operational Area EOC
·
RDMHC/RDMHS
·
REOC Medical/Health Branch
·
State of California