Tomorrow morning’s Emergency Preparedness meeting (just scheduled for 8AM)

October 28, 2018

FROM: CEO, Northern New Jersey Regional Medical Center
TO: SVPs
SUBJECT: Tomorrow morning’s Preparedness meeting (just scheduled for 8AM)

Over the last few days there has been a convergence of preparedness challenges. We need to set priorities, confirm assignments, allocate resources, initiate communications plan.

1. NOR’EASTER/ FLOODING.
Assessment. Review SuperStorm Sandy rapid response (A) (B) (C)

2. ACTIVE SHOOTER TRAINING
“Hospital active shooter response programs are essential for healthcare facilities to stay prepared for shootings on their campus or in their communities. Hospitals with the ability to receive patients from an active shooter attack have a responsibility to be prepared.
The new National Fire Protection Association Standard, NFPA 3000: Standard for an Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response (ASHER) Program, gives details on what that preparedness should look like.
Specifically, chapter 19 of the NFPA 3000 standard describes different aspects of an effective, scalable hospital active shooter program.
John Montes, an NFPA emergency services specialist who helped write NFPA 3000, believes active shooter response plans should be distinct from hospital officials’ general emergency plans.” (D) (E)

3. DEADLY VIRUS OUTBREAK & BACTERIAL INFECTION
“New Jersey Department of Health officials said this week that in addition to an investigation of an outbreak of adenovirus that has killed seven children at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Passaic County, they are investigating four cases of Acinetobacter baumannii in the neonatal intensive care unit of University Hospital in Newark, following the death of a premature baby.” (F) (G)

4. POLIO-LIKE ILLNESS
“Acute flaccid myelitis, the polio-like syndrome leaving some children partially paralyzed.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it doesn’t know what’s causing a sudden rise in cases of a frightening, polio-like condition that leaves children paralyzed or with weakened limbs.
The No. 1 suspect had been a virus called enterovirus D68, or EV-D68. In 2014, a wave of cases of acute flaccid myelitis coincided with outbreaks of EV-D68 across the country.” (H)

5. SEASONAL FLU
“New York City on reported its first flu-related death of the season Thursday, and the health department urged everyone over 6 months of age to get a flu shot.” (I)
“Surge” capacity
Mandatory staff vaccinations? (J)

6. SEPSIS
“Scientists have created an artificial intelligence (AI) system that could help treat patients with sepsis by predicting the best treatment strategy.
The system developed by researchers from Imperial College London in the UK analysed the records of about 100,000 hospital patients in intensive care units and every single doctor’s decisions affecting them.
The findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine, showed the AI system made more reliable treatment decisions than human doctors.” (K)

7. EBOLA TRAINING
“Preparedness for emerging infectious diseases threats saw a marked improvement at U.S. hospitals after an Ebola outbreak scare in 2014, according to a new report from a federal watchdog agency.
The challenge now? Keeping that level of preparedness in the midst of competing priorities.
According to the HHS Office of Inspector General, 71% of hospital administrators reported their facilities were unprepared to receive Ebola patients in 2014. But after scrambling to update emergency plans, train staff to care for patients with emerging infectious diseases (EID), purchasing additional supplies and conducting drills, 86% of administrators said their facilities were prepared in 2017.” (L)

8. HALLOWEEN COVERAGE
Halloween Health and Safety Tips (M)

RESOURCES
Emergency Preparedness and Response, CDC. https://emergency.cdc.gov/planning/index.asp
Emergency Management Resources, The Joint Commission, https://www.jointcommission.org/emergency_management.aspx
Is Your Hospital Prepared? CHA. https://www.calhospitalprepare.org/
Hospital Surge Evaluation Tool https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/hpp/surge/Pages/default.aspx

(A) Five years after Superstorm Sandy, NYC hospitals may be as ready as Houston’s were for Harvey, by Rachel Z. Arndt, https://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20170909/NEWS/170909889
(B) Hurricane Sandy: A Tale of 2 Hospitals, by Marc Lallanilla, https://www.livescience.com/40734-hurricane-sandy-shorefront-center-coney-island-hospital.html
(C) Bracing for the Worst, https://today.duke.edu/2018/09/bracing-worst
(D) What Hospital Active Shooter Response Programs Should Look Like, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/now-an-ai-system-could-help-treat-patients-with-sepsis-by-predicting-best-treatment-strategy/articleshow/66331925.cms
(E) Children’s Medical Center Dallas boosts ER preparedness with active shooter drills, by by Paige Minemyer, https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/hospitals-health-systems/children-s-health-children-s-medical-center-dallas-active-shooter-training
(F) 8th death reported at North Jersey pediatric care facility, by NICOLE LEONARD, https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/wellness/deadly-viral-and-bacterial-cases-strike-nj-children-at-health/article_0a4912c9-820f-5890-b2ae-6bcfe558f751.html
(G) STATE TO GIVE FAST TRAINING ON INFECTION CONTROL AT THREE OTHER FACILITIES, by LILO H. STAINTON, https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/18/10/25/state-to-give-fast-training-on-infection-control-at-three-other-facilities/
(H) CDC says polio-like disease is puzzling. These doctors disagree, by Maggie Fox, https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/10/afm-polio-like-illness-thats-paralyzing-children/573982/
(I) NYC Health Dept. Announces First Child Flu Death Of Season, https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2018/10/25/child-flu-death-nyc-department-of-health/
(J) Menu of State Hospital Influenza Vaccination Laws, https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/docs/menu-shfluvacclaws.pdf
(K) Now, an AI system could help treat patients with sepsis by predicting best treatment strategy, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/now-an-ai-system-could-help-treat-patients-with-sepsis-by-predicting-best-treatment-strategy/articleshow/66331925.cms
(L) U.S. hospitals improved infectious disease preparedness in response to Ebola threat, federal watchdog says, by Tina Reed, https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/hospitals-health-systems/u-s-hospitals-performed-well-response-to-ebola-threat-federal-watchdog
(M) https://www.cdc.gov/family/halloween/halloween_tips.pdf

PREQUELS
We don’t know what we don’t know” (1) The challenge to emergency preparedness….., https://doctordidyouwashyourhands.com/2017/08/we-dont-know-what-we-dont-know-1-the-challenge-to-emergency-preparedness/
“..in a severe (flu) pandemic, the U.S. healthcare system could be overwhelmed in just weeks., https://doctordidyouwashyourhands.com/2018/01/let-there-be-no-mistake-in-a-severe-flu-pandemic-the-u-s-healthcare-system-could-be-overwhelmed-in-just-weeks/
The new Jersey City Medical Center (2004) was constructed above the 100 year flood plain – then came Sandy, Harvey & Irma, https://doctordidyouwashyourhands.com/2017/11/the-new-jersey-city-medical-center-2004-was-constructed-above-the-100-year-flood-plain-then-came-sandy-harvey-irma/