Notes: Remarks in brackets [example] have been edited by the reviewing investigator to preserve confidentiality. No other changes have been made to survey data. The use of a period (.) in any field indicates no data was received from the survey respondent for that item.
Survey Question/Topic | Site 1 | Site 1' | Site 2 | Site 3 | Site 4 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ACF Planned? | . | . | . | . | . |
ACF Actual? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
ACF Location? | [REDACTED] | [REDACTED] | [REDACTED] | [REDACTED] | [REDACTED] |
ACF Dates? | Sept 1, 2005—Sept 15, 2005 | August 31-September 20, 2005 | Sept 1- 16, 2006 |
Immediate post-Katrina | . |
Number of ACF patients? | >4500 | Over 27,000 shelter evacuees with over 10,000 patients seen in clinic and over 13,000 immunizations given | > 10,000 | > 6000 / 800 beds | > 20,000 |
Number of ACF staff? | There were several sources of staff—for practical purposes I will only represent the outlay that [we] provided | unknown | 7 common staff/1,000 workers | several hundred | 400 pt 4-2 rest of the number 50 |
Structure of Opportunity ACF? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Structure of Opportunity Detail | [Clinic housed in convention center structure] | Convention center structure used for operations | Convention center, parking garage level | Gymnasium | . |
Portable ACF? | . | . | . | . | . |
Mobile ACF? | . | . | . | . | . |
Inpatient Augmentation: Adult? | . | Yes | . | . | . |
Inpatient Augmentation: Pediatric? | . | Yes | . | . | . |
Inpatient Augmentation: Special Populations? |
. | Yes | . | . | . |
Inpatient Augmentation: Special Populations: Detail | . | . | . | . | . |
Inpatient Augmentation: Special Medical Needs? |
. | . | . | . | . |
Inpatient Augmentation: Special Medical Needs: Detail | . | . | . | Reserved nursing home—did not receive/treat evacuated in-patients. | . |
Inpatient Replacement: Adult? | . | . | . | Yes | Yes |
Inpatient Replacement: Pediatric? | . | . | . | Yes | Yes |
Inpatient Replacement: Special Populations? |
. | . | . | . | Yes |
Inpatient Replacement: Special Populations: Detail | . | . | . | . | VA pt., nursing home pt, ICU patients |
Inpatient Replacement: Special Medical Needs? |
. | . | . | Yes | Yes |
Inpatient Replacement: Special Medical Needs: Detail | . | . | . | Hemodialysis, rescued nursing home pts, amputees | Ventilator pt |
Ambulatory Augmentation: Adult? | . | Yes | Yes | Yes | . |
Ambulatory Augmentation: Pediatric? |
Yes—([Location] sent its Emergency Center (EC) for all practical purposes—it was an effort to prevent [Location] from exceeding its surge capacity) | Yes | Yes | Yes | . |
Ambulatory Augmentation: Public Health? |
. | Yes | Yes | Yes | . |
Ambulatory Replacement: Adult? | . | . | . | Yes | Yes |
Ambulatory Replacement: Pediatric? |
. | . | . | Very minimal | Yes |
Ambulatory Replacement: Special Populations? |
. | . | . | . | Yes |
Ambulatory Replacement: Special Populations: Detail | . | . | . | . | VA, nursing home, ICU |
Ambulatory Replacement: Special Medical Needs? |
. | . | . | Yes | Yes |
Ambulatory Replacement: Special Medical Needs: Detail | . | . | . | . | Ventilator patient |
Ambulatory Replacement: Shelter Support? |
. | . | . | Yes | Yes |
Governance: Institutional/HC System? |
Yes—With permission from [health dept] [Location] provided oversight of its staff, equipment, supplies, and pharmacy | . | . | . | . |
Governance: Nonprofit/Volunteer? | . | . | . | . | . |
Governance: Local? | Yes | Yes | Yes | . | . |
Governance: Local: OEM? | Yes—provided the entire response including the ACF (both the [City] and [County]) | Yes | Yes (provided admin support only) | . | . |
Governance: Local: Public Health? | Yes—County Health Dept was large part of the governance of the [site] and therefore they were incident command for the [clinic] | Yes—[County] Public Health & Environmental Services | Yes (medical oversight) | . | . |
Governance: Local: Other? | . | Yes—[hospital district] | Yes (County hospital system; [system name]) | . | . |
Governance: State? | . | Yes | . | Yes | . |
Governance: Federal? | . | Yes | . | . | Yes |
Governance: Federal: DHHS? | . | . | . | . | . |
Governance: Federal: PHS? | . | . | . | . | . |
Governance: Federal: NDMS? | . | Yes | . | . | Yes |
Governance: Federal: DoD? | . | . | . | . | . |
Governance: Federal: Other? | . | . | . | . | . |
ICS? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No—One already existed | Yes |
ICS Model | [name redacted] did not set up an IC—[name redacted] did have their IC at the [site] and it was based on HICS | NIMS | Generic ICS | . | No—standard ICS for a DMAT |
IAP? | Don't know—we were not involved at that level of IC | Yes | No—medical operation provided intel and data to local emergency management agency. | No—not formally | No |
IAP Frequency | . | Daily | . | . | . |
IAP Frequency—Other | . | . | . | Not formally though a per 12 hours shift plan was produced, as well as daily OPS briefings | . |
IAP Type | . | Previously prepared form | . | . | . |
Command Problems | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Command Problem Detail | We were not invited to play initially—we just showed up—initially we were not noticed because of the chaos of the moment—the [name redacted] version of the medical director showed up on night one and began to move pedi pts through the system—[name] noticed us and felt like we knew what we were doing and gave us more space—we filled that...—when things calmed down [name] began to see us as a rogue clinic and made it clear that we had to operate within their IC rules [redacted] | Local government command & control integrating with private partners (e.g. NGO's, CBO's, private partners, etc.) | . | Internal issues of authority and command. Did not impact us as responders from other State but caused issues between local, county, and State players | Above the commanders that came with the teams there was no one above there to give direction. |
Transfer of Command | Verbal report Other |
Verbal report Written report |
Verbal report | Verbal report | Verbal report |
Transfer of Command Detail | [Clinic] Medical Directors came from [location] so we formally checked out. [name] IC meetings were held twice daily and our main medical director was eventually invited and made the official [name] IC medical director for the [clinic] | . | . | . | . |
How Open? | Two of our faculty showed up at the request of the news media to help with the response and noticed that there were only 2 pediatricians on site—hours later we were coordinating the pediatric response | State & county elected officials made decision | Joint decision between OEM (city Office of Emergency Management), city EMS medical directors, and county public health authority. | Was already open. Local & regional health care providers had staffed it for about 48 hours prior to our arrival | Federal deployment |
Who Decides? | The physician who showed up and took command of the pedi clinic contacted the admin for [location] who then agreed to full out resource support of the effort. | Governor & County Judge | Medical director of county public health dept (health authority) | Unknown | NDMS/DHS |
How Close? | When it was clear that patient volume had dropped significantly, the med director from [Location] worked with [Locations] to relinquish control over the [clinic] to the [Location] and they sent a pedi medical director to take over (transitioned over one weekend). | Another impending Category 5 Hurricane was set to strike community—so shelter was closed & residents evacuated. | Declined in shelter population as evacuees were placed in more permanent housing locations | After about 8-9 days patients were no longer arriving for care—and the patients we had were able to be shipped out | NDMS/DHS—all the patients had been evacuated |
Pre-Close Check? | Lack of patients | Ensuring all evacuees were relocated safely to other shelter facilities elsewhere | None | Local and regional health care facilities were decompressed enough to receive patients directly. Transfer of PMAC patients were completed | No more patients |
CONOPS? | Yes—remember that we were separate for the [site redacted] plan—we used our own concept of operations—50 years in the business of taking care of [patients] | Yes | No—we made it up as we went along | Yes and no; our initial ops plan did not entail such a large number of patients with so many needs | No |
NIMS/HICS Training? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes—our own team did | Yes |
Training %? | . | 60 | 25 | 75 | 100 |
EMTALA? | No | Unknown | No | No | No |
EMTALA Detail | . | . | . | . | It was an evacuation—patients came from high centers which had nothing to us (aid station) |
Info Issues? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Info Issue Detail | This response was under [name] so all PI management had to come through them - they had a very organized and orchestrated effort but other than [respondent identifying information redacted] was not privy to the process. | Provision of credible, timely, and accurate information for such a large-scale response was challenging. | Difficult to control media and VIP access to ACF causing issues regarding privacy. | The information we received was erroneous - constantly | The news media was all over the place |
Dispatch? | [Site] did this - basically the EMS provider who normally provided EMS services for the [convention center] continued to provide transport on the complex proper, with the help of dozens of agencies nationwide. Local 911 services remained under the control of the [city] EMS | EMS resources were coordinated through the regional medical operations center. | We had 2 EMS strategies: (1) 24/7 ALS ground ambulance for emergency transports (2) 24/7 BLS/ALS ground ambulance for routine/ scheduled transports | Local EMS reps were at the ACF | We didn't that was a huge issue EMS did not stand up and take a role. This is a huge issue I think. |
Behavior Rules? | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Behavior Rule Detail | you'll have to ask [name] this question | Curfew at 11pm, no weapons allowed, lights were dimmed at night, no loud music, wrist-band identification for shelter evacuees | . | It really wasn't an issue. we had National Guard and campus police nightly | . |
Other Command Issues? | Yes I believe that true IC has to come from local municipalities but medical command of a specific clinic should come from the resource supplying the service. Most importantly the resource must be knowledgeable experienced, and capable of handling the response—the response should NEVER be recreated by another resource that has no knowledge or experience in the response [redacted] | Command & control was key with necessity to consider extending NIMS/ICS to anticipated partners; credentialing of medical personnel; restricting access to shelters and ACF for appropriate persons. | 1) Command staff were not relieved of their daily job function to perform oversight/command functions. These docs worked virtually 24-7 for the entire duration including working their scheduled ED shifts. 2) Use of ICS structure for running the ACF was a significant help in organizing the medical response | Seems the biggest question is who "owns" it - who is responsible in the end - is it the ranking physician or local health or State health depts? | There needs to be not only a command structure but also a continued hierarchy above - this is so questions can be answered and decisions made to help facilitate. Ex: ops need guidance or they will [indecipherable] too much and be overwhelmed. [redacted] |
Security Personnel? | . | Yes | Yes | Yes - eventually | Yes |
Armed Security? | . | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Violence Issues? | . | No | No | No | No |
Other Security Issues? | . | Planning for more security personnel at the beginning of the event, education of security personnel for restricted access to sensitive areas, badging/ identification of ACF staff so security could easily determine who required access and who did not. | The ACF was co-located within a large city shelter. The security element provided for the shelter then was easily shared between the two operations (shelter and ACF) | Initially only had campus security - so male students were enlisted to "look like" security. Once National Guard arrived they set a perimeter and actually placed a temporary fence around entire area | . |
ACF Advance Plan? | No | No | No | No | No - I had been a part of others so I had input in the beginning |
ACF Site Selection? | [name] question | When need arose | When need arose | Determined in advance | When need arose |
RMBT Tool? | No | No | No | Yes | No (and I had been a part of this for a while) |
RMBT Tool Use? | . | . | . | No | . |
RMBT Tool Help? | Not sure | No | . | Yes - we have utilized in our State ([name redacted]) | . |
ACF Transport Location? | [name] question | Minimal at most. | The ACF was purposely co-located within a shelter to bring care to the evacuees. No consideration was given to transportation or evac routes | Don't know situation, it was established in [location] - one of the primary evacuation routes | In the Katrina situation a good choice - many mtg I have been in do not address this |
ACF Site Selection Issues? | [name] question | Multiple multi-use facilities on one large property was very helpful and allowed expansion of service provision as the need dictated. | . | Proximity to a operating health care facility particularly if capable of running labs and other diagnostic tests | 1. Easy bus routes for the elderly |
Social Svc Plan? | . | Yes | Yes - planned jointly between ACF and pub health authority | . | . |
Cleaning Plan? | . | . | Yes - planned jointly between ACF and pub health authority | . | . |
Recreation Plan? | . | . | Yes - planned by OEM due to shelter operations | . | . |
Warehouse Plan? | . | Yes | Yes - planned by OEM due to shelter operations | . | . |
Purchasing Plan? | . | Yes | Yes - planned by OEM due to shelter operations | . | . |
Other Service Plan? | . | . | Yes - planned by ACF/pub health | . | . |
Other Service Detail | [clinic] provided physicians, nurses, clerks, runners, environmental services (janitors), social workers, pharmacy, central supply, and pediatric subspecialty services | . | Evacuee transport to city clinics, dialysis, etc. done by ACF/pub hlth; independent pharmaceutical svc | All managed by locals - we were asked for input | . |
Other Service Issues? | . | Above services not checked in question 6 [cleaning, recreational, other] were provided but not planned for in advance - provision as the need identified. | Rehabilitation workers, pharmaceutical svc for drug prescriptions, mental health svc, phone internet-deaf svcs all aided us in bringing svc to our patients | . | . |
Case Mix Plan: Acute | [name] question | . | 75 | . | . |
Case Mix Plan: Chronic | [name] question | . | 25 | . | . |
Case Mix Plan: Pediatric | Approx 30 | . | 20 | . | . |
Case Mix Plan: Adult | [name] question | . | 80 | . | . |
Case Mix Plan: Nonspecific | [name] question | Unknown as had no information on types of medical needs of population to be sheltered from [location] | . | Entire population | Yes |
Case Mix Received: Acute | [name] question | . | 10 | 30 | 5 |
Case Mix Received: Chronic | [name] question | . | 90 | 40 | 95 |
Case Mix Received: Pediatric | [name] question | . | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Case Mix Received: Adult | [name] question | . | 90 | 20 | 90 |
Case Mix Received: Nonspecific | [name] question | Data unavailable at this time. | . | . | Rough estimates |
Case Mix Plan Changed? | [name] question | . | Yes | Yes | N/A |
Case Mix Plan Change Detail | [name] question | N/A | Significant emphasis more along the lies of chronic care issues. | If medical infrastructure is destroyed, chronic care becomes acute care fairly quickly | . |
Pediatric Care Plan? | Provided these services but was not invited to help with the planning - we are invited to participate in the planning for future disasters; [name] question but I will tell you that yes they thought about kids but did not consult [name] for help—they provided 2 beds to the response both of which had adults in them when we arrived | Not specified differently than other types of patients | No | Yes | Yes |
Pediatric Care Location? | Yes—[name redacted]—initially there was 2 beds, both with adults in them. After the arrival of [name] docs—they took over 4 chairs then within 6-8 hours [name] medical command on site agreed that more was needed and provide a much larger space. [redacted] | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Pediatric Care Plan: ED Nurse? | [name] question | . | . | Yes | . |
Pediatric Care Plan: ED Doc? | [name] question | . | . | Yes | . |
Pediatric Care Plan: Midlevel? | [name] question | . | . | Yes | . |
Pediatric Care Plan: Ped ED Doc? | [name] question | . | Yes - pediatric physician | Yes | . |
Pediatric Care Plan: Ped Nurse? | [name] question | . | Yes | Yes | . |
Pediatric Care Plan: Other? | [name] question | . | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Pediatric Care Plan: Other Detail | [name] question | Via coordination with community (private) provider for pediatrics services. Please note, pediatrics was considered in general as an important area to be addressed but no in-advance specific plans were in place. | ACF medical command staff, EM physicians, EMS fellows | Pediatricians | Feds plan and on the fly |
Pediatric Care Consult: Care Center? | [name] question - but basically NO | . | Yes | . | . |
Pediatric Care Consult: Peds Dept? | [name] question - but basically NO | . | No | . | . |
Pediatric Care Consult: Other? | [name] question - but basically NO | . | Yes | . | . |
Pediatric Care Consult: Other Detail | . | Yes, as above in question 3. | county public health dept | . | . |
Equip Provider? | [name] question | Under [name] Medical Branch Operations, with ACF primarily equipped by [hospital]. | Majority from the six [garbled] hospitals in town, some from private vendor and/or clinicians | Was standing when we arrived. [College] provided much - SNS eventually arrived | We brought it - Feds. DMAT |
Resupply Provider? | [name] question | As above - with additional supplies by private donors, community agencies/ groups, and volunteers. | Majority from the six hospitals in town, some from private vendor and/or clinicians, plus county health dept. | Locals, State of [State] & State of [State], FEMA, HHS | Feds & national stockpile |
Federal Cache? | [name] question | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Cache Detail | . | . | . | Don't know specifics | SNS |
Private Partners? | [name] question - I know that CVS was consulted - and [name] was eventually tapped | Yes | Yes - partnerships developed during the event | Yes—[name] EMS/Health Dept. had MOU's with local suppliers | No - donations came in |
Food Supply? | [name] question | Via a contract food supply service at [site]. | Patients fed by shelter operations (American Red Cross); workers fed by private vendor on contract to city OEM | Initially local restaurants and then [college] food service all pitched in | We initially had nothing but then used MRE (meals ready to eat). Hard for the elderly. |
Family Food Supply? | Yes—[name] question | Yes | No - patients and family members were fed by ARC as a result of residing in the co-located shelter | No | Yes |
Separate Dining? | [name] question | Yes | Yes - dining in shelter, treatment in ACF | Yes for staff; No for patients | Yes for us; No for patients |
Pediatrics Meds? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Enough Pediatrics Meds? | No | Yes | Yes | . | Whatever was donated |
Pediatrics Meds Supplier? | Initially the [hospital] provided pharmacy services - the supplies were dramatically under stocked so [name] moved in and opened and resupplied its own pharmacy and central supply | All medications were initially filled by off-site [hospital] pharmacies and eventually transitioned (a few days into the response) to CVS Pharmacy, which provided two mobile pharmacy units at no cost. | Same as for other supplies | Local resources in [location] | . |
Other Pediatrics Supplies? | [name] question - same answer as the pharmacy question | Yes | Yes | . | Yes |
Enough Other Pediatrics Supplies? | . | Yes - unknown but likely so | Yes | . | No |
Other Pediatrics Supplier? | . | If so, via clinical providers and likely donated by them as well. | Same as for other supplies | Minimal supplies initially - after 72 hours or so received quantities from Fed. | We brought them in the Fed cache |
Most Important Supplies? | See attached document [article] | Medications for chronic medical conditions (such as HTN, DM, etc.) were critical as were a constant re-supply of necessary equipment to run an ACF (such as wheelchairs, lab supplies, needles, gloves, gowns, masks, etc.). | Wound care supplies, point-of-care laboratory capabilities, and free standing pharmacy which stood up within the first 3-4 days of our operation. A local pharmacy chain built, de novo, a full service operation just outside the ACF site | Point of care testing: only had 2 glucometers when we arrived, EKG & other diagnostic tools. IV fluids and starter kits. Patient gowns, sheets, blankets etc. | 1. Sheets - stretchers bed pans hand sanitizer diapers (young and old) chronic antiHTN and DM meds |
Supplies Unavailable? | We had everything we needed once [name] took over | Eventually everything was provided for - the issue was time and determining how to get the supplies in need. | . | After 48 hours desperately needed capability for dialysis - local resources were brought in. | Oxygen was difficult |
General Logistics Issues? | let the regional resource do what it does every day - don't recreate the wheel | . | We offered on-site general dentistry and refraction for eyeglasses which was a great value to our patients. Also working narcotic addicted and dialysis patients into pre-existing care patterns within the community. | Once the Federal supplies arrived a forklift was needed to move pallets, break them down, and repackage for use. A strong, young non-medical labor pool was essential. | . |
Set Provider Shifts? | . | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Shift Type | 8 hour 12 hour 24 hour |
. | 8 hour 12 hour 4 hour |
12 hour | 12 hour |
Shift Type Detail | This is for the [Clinic] only - housed within the much larger [name] response ACF residing in the [site] - [name] will have to answer the questions from their perspective | . | All scheduling based upon volunteer availability | . | Eventually we had shifts |
Different Day/Night Staffing? | Yes | . | Yes | It varied by number of volunteers | No |
Docs on Shift? | Varied from day one to day 14—[identifying details redacted: summary: 4 trained medical directors, 4 scheduled specialist physicians], lots of extra volunteers | . | 16 am/4 pm | Varied - generally 25/more in the beginning but specialists who really were not comfortable with general medicine. | Unable to answer |
Midlevel on Shift? | Not sure - were not scheduled but many came | . | None | 20 | Unable to answer |
Nurses on Shift? | Same as docs above | . | 20 am/6 pm | 50+ | Unable to answer |
EMT on Shift? | [name] did not supply any EMTs | . | 8 am/6 pm | 50+ | Unable to answer. |
Pharmacy on Shift? | One around the clock (12 hour shifts) | . | 2 am/1 pm | 6+ (all from USHPS) | 2-3 |
Additional Staffing Detail | . | . | . | . | Initially we had ~ 90 people 2/3 direct patient care so they had MD/nurse/ML/EMT; 1/3 transport & holding (3 nurses 1 MD >700 pt) and 20 people offloading helicopters. Eventually increased the number of MDs/nurses (mostly) and EMT when support arrived |
Clerks/Admins? | Yes | . | Yes - medical records, mental health | Yes | Yes |
Clerk/Admin Detail | One around the clock (8hour shifts) | . | 5 am/1 pm - much admin work done by medical command staff due to limited admin support | Well over 50, they were college students & staff | Each team has 1-2 admin folks plus there is support from NDMS |
Outside Providers? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Outside Provider Issues? | Most pediatricians came from [name] or its referral source ([identifying detail redacted])- so they were credentialed through our hospital - did have some issues at time with [name] IC - most were resolved without incident | Communication was continual issue so daily briefings/ updates were important. | No | Very few problems - there was so much to do no time for turn battles. We always held change of shift reports within nursing - including numbers of pts., etc. | Each team has its own. In another situation we had Marines, VA nurses & public health - they stayed together but were under a command system and understood that |
Licensing Issues? | Yes | . | No - credentialling consisted of a visual check of providers professional ID badge to verify identity and job function (RN, MD, EMT, etc) | USPHS managed these issues | Yes - for narcotic refills |
Interpreter Services? | Yes | . | Yes | No | No |
How Interpreted? | Trained interpreters Bilingual/ multilingual care providers Family members Other |
. | Bilingual/ multilingual care providers Family members Other |
. | . |
Interpreter Detail | . | . | Deaf video phone system | . | . |
Volunteer Types? | Medical Non-medical |
Medical Non-medical |
Medical Non-medical |
Medical Non-medical |
Non-medical |
Volunteer Coordinator? | Yes—[name] used its own coordinator but [name] had its own also | Yes | Yes | Yes - college professors from campus | Not initially |
Volunteer Lessons? | They were essential | . | Pre-plan their job function (role), teach them the role, and always direct oversight of their activities | We would've failed without them. Convene a meeting, explain the prioritized issues/problems & let volunteers choose what they can help with. | They need to be given tasks as well as coordinated as a group - in [location] we had yellow shirts and if I remember correctly orange shirt folks - all faith based. |
Credentials Verified? | [name] used its own credentially process—[name] used its own system | . | We did not | USPHS did this | 90% were all Federal |
Worker ID? | Yes | . | Yes | Yes | No |
Worker ID Detail | [name] used its IDs but [name] also tried numerous cards - none were successful | . | A make-shift badge maker | Actually used wrist bands the university had thousands for special events | Already had some |
Worker ID Lessons? | Yes - early identification - prior to the response | . | Nothing different | . | . |
Imposters? | Yes | . | No - not that we are aware of | No - but we had a person from the media impersonate a priest to get in | Not that I was aware |
Out-of-State Profs? | They allowed instant licensure with sponsorship - our section at [name] provided that sponsorship | . | The State of [State] did not assist in this issue. | Don't know. But as part of a pre-existing State team sent via EMAC we came with verified credentials | Ask [name] [email] - he coordinated with the State |
Pre-Event Training? | Yes | Yes | No | . | Yes |
Pre-Event Training Detail | only a few | Mass medication dispensing (for health department staff). | . | Nothing could have prepared us and we only prepared for field response - and only for 72 hours | Drills |
Other Staff Issues? | Credentialing must occur but a balance between rapid recruitment to meet rapid enormous need must be reached | . | Logistic/supply officer and medical records personnel very important. Pharmacists very important. We want to have a record of who (which providers) were present at given times. No easy way to credential, even now | Labor pool essential - college students particularly well suited. They all have IDs, can be verified by college. Professors & staff also extremely useful (counselors admin asst., etc.) A number of MDs with unique specialties found themselves out of the [redacted] | MDs are not the best people to have in charge - nurses are better at shifts - jobs - and people coordination |
ACF Admin Agency? | [name] question | No | No | Yes and no | No |
ACF Admin Agency Detail | . | . | . | Initially locals have to get things going but as other assistance arrives a collaborative approach (like Unified Commerce) developed and was very effective | . |
ACF Purpose? | [name] question Shelter care Medical treatment facility |
Shelter care | Shelter care (ACF colocated within a shelter); Medical treatment facility (operated as a standalone facility) | Shelter care Medical treatment facility Both at first then became strictly medical |
Shelter care Medical treatment facility |
ACF Goal? | Primary receiving facility | Primary receiving facility | Primary receiving facility | Primary receiving facility | Hospital decompression Primary receiving facility |
Daycare? | [name] question | Don't think we addressed via Medical Branch Operations. | No service provided. Volunteers were responsible for arranging this themselves. | N/A | N/A |
Patient Childcare? | [name] question | No | No - the shelter provided this service | Yes—[college] students | No |
ICU Patients? | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
ICU Reasonable? | Yes—[name] question | No | No | No | Yes - with supplies skilled people and ability to place in comfort care if necessary |
Rounds System? | . | No - of note, no inpatient care was provided at the ACF / although an observation/ isolation unit was set-up | Not applicable | Nursing did; medicine did not - formally | Yes |
Visitor Limit? | [name] Question - in the [clinic] we did not limit | No | Not applicable | No - family were also evacuees, though they were provided different space | Unknown |
Auxiliary Care? | . | N/A | Not applicable | Yes | Yes |
Outside Integration? | [name] question | Yes | Yes—[State] State guard (medical branch) provided security and lab technicians and logistical support | Yes | We were a DMAT but other ACS did use DMATS |
Integration Lessons? | . | Yes | Yes | Yes | N/A |
Integration Detail | . | Federal response agencies worked best when they integrated into the already set-up local incident command structure. | Assisted us in understanding their capabilities | We split up teams/ integrated shifts with folks from all groups which resulted in a wonderful collaborative consciousness. Included student leaders as well. | . |
Pets Allowed? | [name] question | No - pets were housed outside the facility in a separate shelter | No | No - but there was a place on campus for them | Yes |
Facility Issues? | Yes—[name] question | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Issue Detail | lack of ample plumbing | Environmental issues related to exhaust fumes, noise, etc. due to vehicular traffic and leaving vehicles on. | . | Gymnasiums are large and noisy - it really never was quiet. Other treatment areas as well were loud & light. | Lighting (not NO but other shelters) and noise control - also bathroom access |
Any Other Issues? | See attached file. [redacted] | . | . | . | There needs to be a troubleshooting expert group who can be called to come in and help with problems esp. when the operations people become overwhelmed and unable to make good decisions |
Self-Presenting? | Yes - But [name] tried to prevent this | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Ambulance Route? | Directly to ACF | N/A | Hospital first | Hospital first - not possible in this circumstance, though EMS did manage to take true criticals to hospitals | Directly to ACF |
Mental Health? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Futility of Care? | [name] question | . | No | No | Yes |
Futility of Care Details | . | Do not understand question. | Not applicable to our operation since we performed no in-patient or ICU care | It didn't come up | 0 guidelines it had to do with logistics and transportation and staffing |
Pediatrics Care: ED Nurses? | Yes | . | . | Yes | Yes |
Pediatrics Care: ED Docs? | Yes | . | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Pediatrics Care: Family Docs? | Yes | . | . | Yes | Yes |
Pediatrics Care: Pediatrics ED Docs? | Yes | . | . | Yes | Yes |
Pediatrics Care: Pediatrics Midlevel? | Yes | . | . | Yes | Yes |
Pediatrics Care: Pediatrics Nurses? | Yes | . | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Pediatrics Care: Pediatricians? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Pediatrics Care: Other? | Yes | Yes - handled by another agency so cannot speak fully to this question | . | . | Yes |
Pediatrics Care Other Detail | Answer pertains to the [clinic] only - almost every combination | Via coordination with community (private) provider for pediatrics services. | . | . | Paramedics |
Immunizations? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes - but only for fire service and law enforcement coming from various parts of the country on the way to [location] | Yes - tetanus |
Infectious Disease Surveillance? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Infectious Disease Surveillance Detail | Both the [name] public health and [name] provided this surveillance - in fact [name] was the first to identify and DNA type the organism responsible for the GE outbreak | Cot-to-cot surveys in shelter areas by Epidemiology Task Force was conducted nightly to assess for symptoms that may correlate with certain disease patterns. | County public health epidemiologist reviewed cases | Monitored trends | Walk rounds. & informal look arounds. Other facilities I know had a stronger PH component. |
Hospital Transfer System? | Yes | Yes | Yes - only 2-3% of ACF patients were transferred to hospital ED's (out of >10,000 patient encounters) | Yes | Initially no! After a while yes but limited. In other ACFs I have had an ambulance on standby for transfer |
Surge: Early Discharge? | Yes | . | No local hospitals used these strategies | Yes | Unknown |
Surge: Hospital Transfer? | . | . | No local hospitals used these strategies | . | Unknown |
Surge: ICU to Ward? | Yes | . | No local hospitals used these strategies | . | Unknown |
Surge: Interhospital Transfer? | . | . | No local hospitals used these strategies | Yes | Unknown |
Surge Criteria Detail | . | Unknown | None of these strategies were employed | We were informed by local health that beds were becoming available especially after NDMS kicked in | Unknown |
Special Medical Needs (SMN)? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | In NO all comers |
SMN: Dialysis? | Yes | . | Yes | Yes | . |
SMN: Mental Health? | Yes | . | Yes | Yes | . |
SMN: Ventilator? | . | . | . | . | . |
SMN: Other? | Yes | Expanded definition for what was considered MSN population - so a diabetic without insulin for few days with need to store insulin, dispose of sharps, ADA diet, etc. became a patient with MSN. | . | . | . |
SMN Other Detail | hemonc/ transplant/ CF/ shunts/ etc |
Other such patients included those morbidly obese, mental health needs, patients on chronic dialysis, etc. | . | . | . |
Special ACF Group? | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Special ACF Group Detail | Ventilator dependent | In operation such as ours, integrated services worked best esp. due to fact that patient characteristics were unknown in advance of operation initiation. | . | Infectious - it wasn't an issue for us, but if we were dealing with flu etc, should have separate ACF. Also hospice/palliative care | Chronic ventilator patients with respiratory therapists |
Multiple Ventilators? | Yes | No | No | No - not without extraordinary resources - which are better left in the hospital | Yes |
Other SMN/Patient Care Issues | With Hurricane RITA which came at the heels of Katrina we had appx 30 ventilator dependent children arrive at our EC - we had to open a floor just for these patients - as a result, we are working with the [State] to create a regional location [redacted] | . | Avoid segmenting patients according to medical diagnoses | We did not have many deaths - but hospice/ palliative care patients that were evacuated did come through and sent to a different facility | Morbidly obese/mobility issues are huge problems for hygiene and skin breakdown |
Patients In ACF? | [name] question | Very limited information known. | Visual head count only | We counted every 2 hours / kept track on a grease board | Walking around |
Patient Location? | [name] question | Very limited information known. | Medical record form indicated the location within the ACF where care was rendered (adult, ped, mental lhth, dental, OB, ... etc.) | Had charge nurses & team leads at each treatment area keeping track | Walking around |
Patient Disposition? | [name] question | Discharge/ transfer information was limited except for perhaps those who were transferred via the regional medical operations center | Handwritten medical record | Local EMS & social workers took care of this | Initially too many patients to too few staff |
Patient Tracking System? | [name] question | No | No | No—[college] students went bedside to bedside with laptops to develop database | Yes |
Medical Records? | EMR - took 2 days to perfect but it was quite good once it overcame the sudden rush of patients - [name] question | Not handled by our agency. | Developed de-novo a paper medical record - all completed records were scanned and stored. Data entry clerk created database (name and chief complaint) which was searchable. | Initially - just one sheet of paper taped to the cot | Couldn't initially then ran out of supplies |
Records Ownership? | [name] question | Not handled by our agency. | County public health dept. | Records were sent with the patient when transferred and/or given to them with a discharge summary. Local EMS kept copies of discharge/transfers | Feds |
Adult/Peds Together? | Families kept together Adult/peds separated |
Families kept together | Adult/peds separated - moms typically took children needing care to the pediatric section | Families kept together - as much as possible | Families kept together |
Spouses Separated? | [name] question | No | No | No | No |
Families Together? | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Patient Privacy? | . | Depends on emergency scenario but in general the preference due to the high anxiety of such scenarios is to keep families together as much as possible. | . | Tough to do in a gymnasium. We used sheets & other barriers when possible. Far more important to allow access to patients as most families were also evacuees and separating families at the time would have just made things worse. | Family takes precedence over privacy in a disaster |
Active Finance Section? | Yes—[name] financed its own efforts in the hope that it would be reimbursed - I don't think it was reimbursed | Yes - handled through overall County Government, not our agency specifically. | No | No - all done by locals/I do not have the info | No |
Volunteer %? | not sure | Unknown | 20 | . | . |
Charitable Donation %? | not sure | Unknown | 10 | . | . |
Institution/System %? | not sure | Unknown | 40 | . | . |
Private Corporation %? | not sure | Unknown | 10 | . | . |
Local Gov %? | not sure | Unknown | 10 | . | . |
State %? | not sure | Unknown | . | . | . |
Federal %? | not sure | Unknown | 10 | . | . |
Other %? | not sure | Unknown | . | . | . |
Other % Detail | not sure | Unknown | . | . | . |
Federal Invoice? | Yes | Yes - County Government did. | No | . | . |
Federal Reimbursement? | No | Yes | . | . | . |
Reimbursement Secrets? | yes - create an agreement before the response | . | Not applicable | . | . |
Worker Illness/Injury? | Yes | Unable to quantify. | No - not that we were aware of | No | Yes |
Workers' Comp Issues? | [name] question | N/A | No - not that we were aware of | No | Yes |
Workers' Comp Detail | . | . | . | . | Their commander dealt with it through the Federal Government |
Other Finance Issues? | Pay the resource if you want them to return | . | ACF financing will now go through the finance section of the city entity which has requested a medical support function. | . | . |
General Comments | Advanced planning and development of relationships with partners in advance is critical to the success of any large-scale operation. | See two documents [attached] describing our ACF operations | [From included cover letter] ... I am an advocate of college campuses as ACF for many reasons. This is a short list: 1. handicapped accessible; 2. large crowds can generally be accommodated; 3. there is already a security presence, and a perimeter can be | Can not be rigid - flexibility important. Red Cross volunteers. Family together. Palliative care areas. Animals need to be considered. Uniforms very helpful. Understand limitations in your mission. |
Survey Question/Topic | Site 5 | Site 6 | Site 7 | Site 8 | Site 9 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ACF Planned? | . | . | . | . | Yes |
ACF Actual? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | . |
ACF Location? | [REDACTED] | [REDACTED] | [REDACTED] | [REDACTED] | . |
ACF Dates? | Sept. 2—Oct. 14, 2005 | September 2005 | August 05 | September/ October 2005 |
. |
Number of ACF patients? | 7500 | 200 | 700 | 340 | . |
Number of ACF staff? | 60-100 at any one time | 100 | Volunteers—several hundred Medical staff, in total given ~300 (some were transiently involved) | plus or minus 200 | . |
Structure of Opportunity ACF? | . | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Structure of Opportunity Detail | . | Closed VA hospital | Former [redacted] box store | College gymnasium. | . |
Portable ACF? | . | . | . | . | Yes |
Mobile ACF? | Yes | . | . | . | . |
Inpatient Augmentation: Adult? | . | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Inpatient Augmentation: Pediatric? | . | Yes | Yes | . | Yes |
Inpatient Augmentation: Special Populations? |
. | Yes | . | . | . |
Inpatient Augmentation: Special Populations: Detail | . | Special needs population that required routine medical support. The acuity was similar to a nursing home. | . | COPD, asthma, diabetes | . |
Inpatient Augmentation: Special Medical Needs? |
. | . | . | . | . |
Inpatient Augmentation: Special Medical Needs: Detail | . | . | . | COPD, asthma, diabetes | . |
Inpatient Replacement: Adult? | Yes | . | . | . | Yes |
Inpatient Replacement: Pediatric? | Yes | . | . | . | Yes |
Inpatient Replacement: Special Populations? |
Yes | . | . | . | Yes |
Inpatient Replacement: Special Populations: Detail | Chronic disease—patients without meds or care for 1 week post-storm | . | . | . | If an incident such as pan flu or a hurricane strike necessitates it we would utilize an ACF for possible temporary replacement. |
Inpatient Replacement: Special Medical Needs? |
. | . | . | . | . |
Inpatient Replacement: Special Medical Needs: Detail | . | . | . | . | . |
Ambulatory Augmentation: Adult? | . | Yes | . | . | Yes |
Ambulatory Augmentation: Pediatric? |
. | Yes | . | . | Yes |
Ambulatory Augmentation: Public Health? |
. | . | . | . | Yes |
Ambulatory Replacement: Adult? | Yes | Yes | . | . | Yes |
Ambulatory Replacement: Pediatric? |
Yes | Yes | . | . | Yes |
Ambulatory Replacement: Special Populations? |
Yes | . | . | . | . |
Ambulatory Replacement: Special Populations: Detail | Chronic disease—patients without meds or care for 1 week post-storm | . | . | . | . |
Ambulatory Replacement: Special Medical Needs? |
. | . | . | . | . |
Ambulatory Replacement: Special Medical Needs: Detail | . | . | . | . | . |
Ambulatory Replacement: Shelter Support? |
Yes | Yes | . | Yes | . |
Governance: Institutional/HC System? |
Yes | . | . | . | Yes |
Governance: Nonprofit/Volunteer? | . | . | . | . | . |
Governance: Local? | . | . | . | Yes | Yes |
Governance: Local: OEM? | . | . | . | . | Yes |
Governance: Local: Public Health? | . | . | . | Yes | Yes |
Governance: Local: Other? | . | . | . | . | Shared responsibility between the hospitals, Emergency Management and Public Health with the use of State Medical Response Teams (similar to Federal DMAT) serving in a command role. |
Governance: State? | . | . | Yes | . | Yes |
Governance: Federal? | . | . | . | . | . |
Governance: Federal: DHHS? | . | . | . | . | . |
Governance: Federal: PHS? | . | Yes | . | . | . |
Governance: Federal: NDMS? | . | . | . | . | . |
Governance: Federal: DoD? | . | . | . | . | . |
Governance: Federal: Other? | . | Yes—and VA staff managed & support. | . | . | . |
ICS? | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
ICS Model | HICS & NIMS | . | Not a formal one. [respondent identifying information redacted] Responsibility was divided with a "deputy" in charge of nursing, medicine, facility setup/management | NEMS | NIMS |
IAP? | Yes | No | Do not know what this is but if it involved a form, no. | Yes | Yes |
IAP Frequency | . | . | . | . | Daily |
IAP Frequency—Other | . | . | . | . | If needed one would be established for each 12 hour operational period (12 hours). |
IAP Type | Previously prepared form | . | . | A form we created | Previously prepared form |
Command Problems | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Command Problem Detail | 1st time tested; learning curve | No problem internal to the shelter—confusing command structure outside of the shelter | . | . | . |
Transfer of Command | Verbal report | Verbal report Written report |
Verbal report | Verbal report Written report |
Verbal report |
Transfer of Command Detail | . | N/A | . | . | . |
How Open? | Request via EMAC | N/A | Ask to do so by the State | E.O.C. contacted the M.O.C who contacted the Public Health Department | Assessment of surge impact. |
Who Decides? | State of [State Redacted] | N/A | An assistant to the Governor | Health Authority. After being asked by the fire chief. | Collective decision between the Incident Commander, the Emergency Manager, the Medical Director and the Health Department Director with hospital input. |
How Close? | Demobilization plan prepared between [State] Office of EMS & [State] Dept. of Health | N/A | The expected surge was directed elsewhere. | Once all evacuees had a safe place to be transferred to. | Collective decision between the ACF Commander, the Emergency Manager, the Medical Director, the Health Department Director and the hospitals. |
Pre-Close Check? | Rebuilding and increased service delivery of the affected community hospital. | Patient load, discharge philosophy, shelter occupants desire to go home ASAP | There were no predetermined requirements | All evacuees had to have a safe home. | N/A |
CONOPS? | Yes | Yes | Yes—although not written | Yes | Yes |
NIMS/HICS Training? | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Training %? | . | 20 | . | 20 | UND |
EMTALA? | No | No | No | No | Yes |
EMTALA Detail | . | . | . | . | We anticipate there will be issues related to the use of non-hospital facilities and issues if hospitals send people to an ACF without a full assessment first. |
Info Issues? | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
Info Issue Detail | Multiple news agencies conducting stories/interviews. We had our own PIO which facilitated this. | . | Volunteers were carelessly photographing patients. We stopped this. | . | Since in almost every major incident there are public information issues we anticipate there will be when an ACF is open and operational. |
Dispatch? | AMR was the local provider. We became part of their receiving facility network. They provided communications to us. | N/A | . | Local EMS was coordinated through the incident command | Through the Incident Commander and appropriate ESFs at the EOC. |
Behavior Rules? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Behavior Rule Detail | 8:00 PM community curfew. No alcohol sold. | . | No weapons. Lights out. | 1) No weapons 2) lights out at 22:00 3) No alcohol 4) No drugs - except for home meds. All medicines dispensed by onsite nurses & pharm. | These will be developed with enhancement of the CONOPS for ACFs. |
Other Command Issues? | Should be a physician (IC) - not hospital administrator. | The structure was similar to the management structure @ VA hospital | Need adaptability. Need "connectors" who can marshal resources and/or know where to seek them. Suspend rules and take risks. Never say no to a disaster related need if no one else can address that need. | Ensure before the shelter is established that there is a clear organizational structure & that this information is available to the evacuees & local community. All command staff should wear ID clothing to identify them. | There will have to be accords reached between the command of the ACF and the medical operations decision making portion of the ACF. |
Security Personnel? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Armed Security? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Violence Issues? | No | No | No | No | Do not anticipate any but that is why armed security from law enforcement is part of the plan. |
Other Security Issues? | We used our own local police - they travel with us. All on SWAT team and all sworn as US Marshals (allows jurisdiction over county lines). | We anticipated the need of visible security presence and requested additional support. The enforcement staff came slowly and with much confusion. We also gave staff sensitivity training before they were deployed. | Have a metal detector. | Local State guard, campus police & city police very helpful. | There needs to be a commitment from law enforcement to support ACF operations. Oftentimes they State that they will be too busy to assist with security issues but it will be key for them to provide resources during an ACF activation. |
ACF Advance Plan? | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes - State guidelines have been written and work is being done to get counties to develop their own local plans for ACF operation. |
ACF Site Selection? | When need arose | When need arose | When need arose | Determined in advance | When need arose Determined in advance Some local sites have been identified but the plan is open for sites to also be selected as the need arises. |
RMBT Tool? | No | No | No | No | Yes |
RMBT Tool Use? | . | . | . | . | Yes |
RMBT Tool Help? | . | May be. | . | . | . |
ACF Transport Location? | Located at intersection of 2 main highways - 1 mile from local hospital (which was closed due to damage). | N/A | Extreme consideration. | Very important | Consideration was given to this aspect since it will be important to have quick ingress and egress along with traffic routes that are not bottled up. |
ACF Site Selection Issues? | Did not set-up on hospital grounds. This was to allow access of building crews, logistics, etc. so facility could be rebuilt. | [Location] is in rural [State], there was a lack of medical support as well as social support. | What was available. | Caution with gymnasiums: college is very protective of their floors & equipment. | We are planning to use one of four different locations for ACFs. First would be near the scene, such as near a stadium that may have been hit to avoid having to transport large numbers of people. Second would be sites midway between the scene and hospital |
Social Svc Plan? | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | . |
Cleaning Plan? | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Recreation Plan? | . | Yes | No | Yes | . |
Warehouse Plan? | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Purchasing Plan? | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Other Service Plan? | Yes | . | No | Yes | Yes |
Other Service Detail | Clinical engineering (biomed equip) and security as mentioned. | . | . | . | Food service, Linen service |
Other Service Issues? | . | Pet service, schooling for children, meals | Make up rules/solutions on the fly. | . | . |
Case Mix Plan: Acute | 20 | . | 50 | . | . |
Case Mix Plan: Chronic | 40 | . | 50 | . | . |
Case Mix Plan: Pediatric | 5 | . | 20 | . | . |
Case Mix Plan: Adult | 80+ | . | 80 | . | . |
Case Mix Plan: Nonspecific | . | . | . | Yes | Yes |
Case Mix Received: Acute | 10 | . | 0 | 20 | . |
Case Mix Received: Chronic | 60 | 30 | 100 | 80 | . |
Case Mix Received: Pediatric | 10 | . | 5 | 25 | . |
Case Mix Received: Adult | 90 | . | 95 | 75 | . |
Case Mix Received: Nonspecific | . | . | . | . | Yes |
Case Mix Plan Changed? | No | Yes | . | Yes | . |
Case Mix Plan Change Detail | . | . | I am not involved with ACF planning | Recognized that cute care should be handled at regional hospitals. | . |
Pediatric Care Plan? | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Pediatric Care Location? | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Pediatric Care Plan: ED Nurse? | . | Yes | . | Yes | . |
Pediatric Care Plan: ED Doc? | Yes | Yes | . | Yes | Yes |
Pediatric Care Plan: Midlevel? | . | . | . | Yes | . |
Pediatric Care Plan: Ped ED Doc? | . | Yes | Yes | . | . |
Pediatric Care Plan: Ped Nurse? | . | . | Yes | . | . |
Pediatric Care Plan: Other? | . | . | . | Yes | . |
Pediatric Care Plan: Other Detail | . | . | . | Family medicine residents from [location]. PharmD residents. | . |
Pediatric Care Consult: Care Center? | . | . | No | . | . |
Pediatric Care Consult: Peds Dept? | . | . | No | Yes | . |
Pediatric Care Consult: Other? | . | . | No | Yes | . |
Pediatric Care Consult: Other Detail | None | . | . | Family medicine doctors. | . |
Equip Provider? | Self | Public health service and VA | Donation from hospitals and a purchased "kit" | Health department. | State regional ACF caches. |
Resupply Provider? | ESF-8 (FEMA) and donations | VA | N/A | Health department. Local direct medical equipment. | Additional State resources as well as community and possibly Federal resources. |
Federal Cache? | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
Cache Detail | ESF-8 (FEMA) as above. We were the first to deploy the SNS-VMI!!! | . | . | . | Plan to make use of NDMS resources and Federal Medical Stations as well as Strategic National Stockpile resources. |
Private Partners? | No | Yes - Wal-Mart | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Food Supply? | Local faith-based group on-site, then FEMA logistics | Contract | Restaurants/catering services supplied food | Local restaurant provided food. Food bank. College cafeteria. | Plan involves using ESF - Mass Care resources to accomplish this. |
Family Food Supply? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Separate Dining? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Pediatrics Meds? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Enough Pediatrics Meds? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | . |
Pediatrics Meds Supplier? | SNS-VMI | Wal-Mart | Industry, hospital, NGO. (pharma) | Local pharmacies. Samples from doctors. | . |
Other Pediatrics Supplies? | Yes | . | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Enough Other Pediatrics Supplies? | Yes | . | Yes | Yes | . |
Other Pediatrics Supplier? | ESF-8 (FEMA) | . | Industry, hospital, NGO. (pharma) | Local hospitals. | . |
Most Important Supplies? | Chronic meds (insulin, anti-hypertensives, pain mgt.) and antibiotics | . | Cots, chronic disease meds such as insulin | 1) beds & cots with special mattresses. 2) dispensary run by pharmacist - antibiotics, nebulizations. 3) nebulizers & O2 supplies. 4) glucose monitoring equipment. 5) crash carts. 6) radios for communication | . |
Supplies Unavailable? | None | Difficulty time with narcotics. Lack of DEA # for the shelter. | 0 | None. | . |
General Logistics Issues? | We were self-supporting for 72 hours. | . | Need portable shower/toilet facilities | Identify before the disaster who will provide logistics. | . |
Set Provider Shifts? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Shift Type | 12 hour | 12 hour | Other | 8 hour | 12 hour |
Shift Type Detail | . | . | As available | As per availability of community resources | . |
Different Day/Night Staffing? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | . |
Docs on Shift? | 4-5 | 4 | 4 | 2-3 | Use military recommended guidelines. |
Midlevel on Shift? | 1-2 | 5 | 3 | 2-3 | . |
Nurses on Shift? | 8-10 | 20 | 10 | 20-30 | . |
EMT on Shift? | 8-10 | . | 1-2 | 10 | . |
Pharmacy on Shift? | 2-3 | 2 | 1-2 | 1-2 | . |
Additional Staffing Detail | . | . | . | . | . |
Clerks/Admins? | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Clerk/Admin Detail | 1-2 | . | ~6 | [name] State guard medical rangers 20. | . |
Outside Providers? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Outside Provider Issues? | None | Initially with staff from DHS. Minimal command control issue | No | No - the shelter manager & health authority kept command over the shelter. | . |
Licensing Issues? | Yes | Yes | No | No | . |
Interpreter Services? | No | No | No | No | Yes |
How Interpreted? | . | . | . | . | . |
Interpreter Detail | . | . | . | If we did, we would use volunteers. | . |
Volunteer Types? | None | Non-medical | Medical Non-medical |
Medical Non-medical |
Medical Non-medical |
Volunteer Coordinator? | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Volunteer Lessons? | N/A | good support. | They are invaluable. Running an ACF requires acquisition of supplies, communications, plant management, security, etc. Non-medical people may be expert in those fields | Their availability is haphazard. | . |
Credentials Verified? | EMAC took care of that | not done, however they all came from VA with proper credentials | We did not | Local hospitals. Medical society. [name] State guard. | State is about to implement a credentialing system. |
Worker ID? | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Worker ID Detail | Yes (owned by [State] office of EMS) | US VA ID card | . | . | . |
Worker ID Lessons? | No | Yes, a standardized system | We had 48 hours to become operational. Worker ID's was a nicety | Identify credentials of workers prior to any event. | . |
Imposters? | No | No | No | Yes | . |
Out-of-State Profs? | Again - EMAC handled everything | None, no need. | To give blanket reciprocity and malpractice coverage to MDs and RNs from other States | Volunteer nurses were screened through the [State] nursing association. | . |
Pre-Event Training? | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Pre-Event Training Detail | 2 years of team training on [clinic] | Some has emergency disaster training and HICS training | . | Health department trained in disaster management. [State] State guard medical brigade trained in disaster management. | . |
Other Staff Issues? | Emergency medicine, trauma surgery, orthopedic surgery, anesthesiology at first (2-3 weeks), then more primary care (FP, IM, Peds, etc.) | . | . | After action report - established a list of local physicians available in time of disaster. Established a medical reserve corp of volunteers. Utilize State guard. | . |
ACF Admin Agency? | No | No | No | No | . |
ACF Admin Agency Detail | . | . | . | . | . |
ACF Purpose? | Medical treatment facility | Medical treatment facility | Shelter care Medical treatment facility |
Shelter care | Medical treatment facility |
ACF Goal? | Primary receiving facility | Primary receiving facility | Hospital decompression | Hospital decompression Primary receiving facility |
Hospital decompression Primary receiving facility May serve as both |
Daycare? | N/A | N/a | N/A | Community resources. Church groups. | . |
Patient Childcare? | No - other than our staff assisting when needed | No | No | Yes | Yes |
ICU Patients? | Yes | No | No | No | No |
ICU Reasonable? | Yes | No | Depends | No - this would have to be a fully operational field hospital. | No |
Rounds System? | Yes | Yes | . | Yes | . |
Visitor Limit? | No | No | No | No | Yes |
Auxiliary Care? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Outside Integration? | No | No | Yes | Yes—[State] medical rangers | Yes |
Integration Lessons? | . | . | Yes | Yes | . |
Integration Detail | N/A | . | Be flexible. Learn. Respect, adapt | Need strong incident command to manage multiple levels of outside input. | . |
Pets Allowed? | Yes - limited | Yes | No | No | No |
Facility Issues? | No | Yes | Yes | No | . |
Issue Detail | Cell communications at first. Then satellite delivered with phones. | Drinking water, meds preparation, lack of phones | No toilets, inadequate electrical support, no air condition | (Used a gymnasium - required reassurance to college administrators that we would not damage floors) | . |
Any Other Issues? | . | The nearby VA support was a major reason for our success. | . | Bed triage & labeling helpful. Use dieticians/ licensed diabetic educators to arrange diabetic management teams. Needlesticks are hazardous. | . |
Self-Presenting? | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Ambulance Route? | Directly to ACF | . | Depends on patient acuity | Hospital first | Directly to ACF |
Mental Health? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Futility of Care? | No | . | No | No | . |
Futility of Care Details | . | . | . | . | . |
Pediatrics Care: ED Nurses? | Yes | . | . | Yes | . |
Pediatrics Care: ED Docs? | Yes | . | . | Yes | Yes |
Pediatrics Care: Family Docs? | . | . | . | Yes | . |
Pediatrics Care: Pediatrics ED Docs? | Yes - limited | . | . | . | . |
Pediatrics Care: Pediatrics Midlevel? | . | Yes | . | . | . |
Pediatrics Care: Pediatrics Nurses? | . | . | Yes | . | . |
Pediatrics Care: Pediatricians? | . | Yes | Yes | Yes | . |
Pediatrics Care: Other? | . | . | . | . | . |
Pediatrics Care Other Detail | . | . | . | . | . |
Immunizations? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes - tetanus | No |
Infectious Disease Surveillance? | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Infectious Disease Surveillance Detail | [State] Public Health rotated teams that interacted with [State] Epidemiology. | . | . | Minimal disease surveillance - diarrhea, respiratory tract infections were monitored | . |
Hospital Transfer System? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Surge: Early Discharge? | Yes | . | . | Yes | Yes |
Surge: Hospital Transfer? | Yes | . | . | Yes | Yes |
Surge: ICU to Ward? | . | . | . | . | . |
Surge: Interhospital Transfer? | . | . | . | . | Yes |
Surge Criteria Detail | Guesstimations only | . | . | If patients met minimal criteria for discharge they were discharged home or back to the shelter. | . |
Special Medical Needs (SMN)? | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
SMN: Dialysis? | . | . | Yes | . | . |
SMN: Mental Health? | Yes | . | . | . | . |
SMN: Ventilator? | . | . | . | . | . |
SMN: Other? | Yes | . | . | Yes | . |
SMN Other Detail | Chronic health prob. | . | . | COPD, diabetes patients, Alzheimer/ geriatric patients | . |
Special ACF Group? | No | . | . | Yes | No |
Special ACF Group Detail | . | . | . | Ventilator patients | . |
Multiple Ventilators? | Yes | No | Depends on staffing and resources | No - unless the personnel (nurses/ respiratory technicians) are available. | No |
Other SMN/Patient Care Issues | Dialysis was not an issue, but could have been. Also we had 8 obstetric patients that we transferred out (luckily). | . | . | . | . |
Patients In ACF? | Electronic system tracking tool | paper process | Database | Daily patient census recorded on Excel program. All patients signed in & out of facility. | Patient recording and tracking. |
Patient Location? | Computer board | a room roster started when they admit. | Generally | XY grid coordinates for bed placement. | . |
Patient Disposition? | Same computer tracking system | daily count and discharge process include informing patient administration | Database | Developed an Excel program. College students assisted. | . |
Patient Tracking System? | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
Medical Records? | Paper/file cabinets | Electronic VA record | Paper | (Electronic for monitoring patient status.) In clinic & shelter used a paper record. Patient chart created & attached to bed. | . |
Records Ownership? | [State] Public Health | VA? | State | Public health department. | Have not given thought to this issue. Good point. |
Adult/Peds Together? | Families kept together | Families kept together | Families kept together | Families kept together | Families kept together |
Spouses Separated? | No | No | No | No | Yes |
Families Together? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Patient Privacy? | Limited | Each family unit had private room | Did not | . | . |
Active Finance Section? | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Volunteer %? | . | . | 25 | Not sure. | . |
Charitable Donation %? | . | . | 15 | Not sure. | . |
Institution/System %? | . | . | 10 | Not sure. | . |
Private Corporation %? | . | . | . | Not sure. | . |
Local Gov %? | . | . | . | Not sure. | . |
State %? | . | . | 25 | Not sure. | . |
Federal %? | 100 | . | 25 | Not sure. | . |
Other %? | . | . | . | Not sure. | . |
Other % Detail | . | . | . | Not sure. | . |
Federal Invoice? | Yes | . | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Federal Reimbursement? | Yes | . | Yes | No - uncertain | . |
Reimbursement Secrets? | None | . | No | No | . |
Worker Illness/Injury? | Yes | No | No | Yes - 1 needlestick injury | . |
Workers' Comp Issues? | Yes | No | No | No | . |
Workers' Comp Detail | Handled by parent hospital | . | . | . | . |
Other Finance Issues? | . | . | Buy on credit, keep receipts, if it is reasonable, it will eventually be reimbursed | Health Department was not reimbursed at the State or local level. Most work was voluntary. [Name] State Guard was paid a daily stipend. | . |
General Comments | . | Any plan that developed needs to be flexible. A cook book approach would not work well in a disaster situation. VA being a national system has enough resources to sustain a shelter for a "period" of time (no more than 3 months). | Have good leadership. Tap into churches for volunteers. Help others and they will accommodate/assist you. | Plan in advance of disaster. We have subsequently identified a university campus with a nursing school to be a ACF for 240 people. We have run [illegible] exercises & call down events to ensure that we can stand up the facility. | We have had to approach planning from a couple of different angles. Our most likely scenario would be a situation whereby the ACF is used for a short fused- short duration event. On the other hand, we are also approaching the issue with the thought in mind |
Facility Selection Tool Questionnaire Results: Alternate Care Facility Factors
The table below summarizes the responses, by site, of the evaluation of the importance of the factors in the original RMBT site selection tool in the selection of an alternate care facility.
Factor | Site 1 | Site 1' | Site 2 | Site 3 | Site 4 | Site 5 | Site7 | Site 8 | Site 9 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Doors/corridors: ACF | 3 | . | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Floors: ACF | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Loading dock: ACF | 3 | . | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
Parking: ACF | 3 | . | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
Roof: ACF | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Toilet/showers: ACF | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Ventilation: ACF | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Walls: ACF | 1 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Infrastructure Other: ACF | . | . | . | Helipad and/or landing area | . | Air conditioning | . | . | . |
Infrastructure Other: ACF Rating | . | . | . | 2 | . | 3 | . | . | . |
Infrastructure Other2: ACF | . | . | . | Ramps vs. stairs | . | HEPA filtration for OR | . | . | . |
Infrastructure Other2: ACF Rating | . | . | . | 3 | . | 3 | . | . | . |
Auxiliary space: ACF | 2 | . | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Equipment/supply: ACF | 2 | . | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Family area: ACF | 3 | . | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Food supply/prep: ACF | 2 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Lab area: ACF | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Mortuary: ACF | 2 | . | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
Patient decontamination: ACF | 3 | . | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Pharmacy: ACF | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Staff area: ACF | 2 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Space/Layout Other: ACF | . | . | . | . | Comfort care | . | . | . | . |
Space/Layout Other: ACF Rating | . | . | . | . | 3 | . | . | . | . |
Air conditioning: ACF | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
Electrical power: ACF | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Heating: ACF | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Lighting: ACF | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Refrigeration: ACF | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Water (hot?): ACF | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Utility Other: ACF | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
Utility Other: ACF Rating | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
Communication: ACF | 2 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Two-way radio: ACF | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
IT/Internet: ACF | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Communications Other: ACF | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
Communications Other: ACF Rating | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
Lockdown: ACF | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Public transport: ACF | 3 | . | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Biohazard/waste: ACF | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Laundry: ACF | 3 | . | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Ownership: ACF | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Oxygen: ACF | 3 | . | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Hospital proximity: ACF | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Misc Services Other1: ACF | . | . | . | . | . | . | On main thoroughfares | . | . |
Misc Services Other1: ACF Rating | . | . | . | . | . | . | 2 | . | . |
Misc Services Other2: ACF | . | . | . | . | . | . | Easily found | . | . |
Facility Selection Tool Questionnaire Results: Shelter Factors
The table below summarizes the responses, by site, of the evaluation of the importance of the factors in the original RMBT site selection tool in the selection of a shelter site.
Factor | Site 1 | Site 1' | Site 2 | Site 3 | Site 4 | Site 5 | Site 7 | Site 8 | Site 9 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Doors/corridors: shelter | 3 | . | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | . |
Floors: shelter | 3 | . | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | . |
Loading dock: shelter | 3 | . | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | . |
Parking: shelter | 3 | . | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | . |
Roof: shelter | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | . |
Toilet/showers: shelter | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | . |
Ventilation: shelter | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | . |
Walls: shelter | 1 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | . |
Infrastructure Other: Shelter | . | . | . | Helipad and/or landing area | Generators | Air conditioning | . | . | . |
Infrastructure Other: Shelter Rating | . | . | . | 1 | 3 | 3 | . | . | . |
Infrastructure Other2: Shelter | . | . | . | Ramps vs. stairs | Communication | HEPA filtration for OR | . | . | . |
Infrastructure Other2: Shelter Rating | . | . | . | 3 | 3 | 1 | . | . | . |
Auxiliary space: shelter | 2 | . | 2 | 2 | 2 (hard to do because not all religions are the same - reference OK bombing) | 2 | 2 | 1 | . |
Equipment/supply: shelter | 2 | . | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | . |
Family area: shelter | 3 | . | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | . |
Food supply/prep: shelter | 2 | . | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | . |
Lab area: shelter | 0 | . | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | . |
Mortuary: shelter | 0 | . | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | . |
Patient decontamination: shelter | 3 | . | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | . |
Pharmacy: shelter | 0 | . | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | . |
Staff area: shelter | 0 | . | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | . |
Space/Layout Other: Shelter | . | . | . | . | Comfort care | . | . | . | . |
Space/Layout Other: Shelter Rating | . | . | . | . | 3 | . | . | . | . |
Air conditioning: shelter | 3 | . | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | . |
Electrical power: shelter | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | . |
Heating: shelter | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | . |
Lighting: shelter | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | . |
Refrigeration: shelter | 3 | . | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | . |
Water (hot?): shelter | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | . |
Utility Other: shelter | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
Utility Other: Shelter Rating | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
Communication: shelter | 1 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | . |
Two-way radio: shelter | 2 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | . |
IT/Internet: shelter | 1 | . | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | . |
Communications Other: shelter | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
Communications Other: Shelter Rating | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
Lockdown: shelter | 3 | . | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | . |
Public transport: shelter | 3 | . | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | . |
Biohazard/waste: shelter | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | . |
Laundry: shelter | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | . |
Ownership: shelter | 3 | . | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | . |
Oxygen: shelter | 3 | . | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | . |
Hospital proximity: shelter | 3 | . | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | . |
Misc Services Other1: shelter | . | . | . | . | . | . | On main thoroughfares | . | . |
Misc Services Other1: Shelter Rating | . | . | . | . | . | . | 2 | . | . |
Misc Services Other2: shelter | . | . | . | . | . | . | Easily found | . | . |
Misc Services Other2: Shelter Rating | . | . | . | . | . | . | 2 | . | . |