Recovery Planning
Topic Collection
August 28, 2019
Topic Collection: Recovery Planning
Planning for recovery is just as essential as planning for response. Ideally, recovery plans would be developed before a disaster and are implemented while response is still ongoing to support healthcare facilities and providers in returning to normal operations, or establishing a new normal state. This will allow them to safely continue to provide care to the community and maintain financial viability following a disaster. The resources in this collection highlight planning guidance/guidelines, tools, lessons learned, and promising practices to assist healthcare emergency planners with recovery. The Continuity of Operations (COOP)/ Business Continuity Planning Topic Collection contains related resources that can minimize the impact and thus, speed recovery. Additional recovery-related resources may be found in hazard-specific and/or care location/setting topic collections.
Each resource in this Topic Collection is placed into one or more of the following categories (click on the category name to be taken directly to that set of resources). Resources marked with an asterisk (*) appear in more than one category.
Must Reads
As disasters continue to have direct effects on healthcare facilities, organizational financial and administrative preparedness capabilities are gaining more attention. This tip sheet provides an overview of eligibility factors, program/grant requirements, and pre- and post-disaster federal financial opportunities (e.g., direct reimbursement and disaster-related loans) for healthcare facilities.
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This tip sheet provides general promising practices—categorized by immediate and short-term needs—for facility executives to consider when trying to retain and care for staff after a disaster or during a public health emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
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This document compiles stories of those that were part of the response and recovery efforts after the Joplin tornado in 2011. The firsthand accounts include lessons learned from the operation of surge medical clinic and volunteer coordination points; coordination of thousands of volunteers; and health care service relocation and other recovery efforts. NOTE: Lessons learned from healthcare facilities are addressed in pages 55-73.
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The National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) establishes a common platform and forum for how the whole community builds, sustains, and coordinates delivery of recovery capabilities. It defines core recovery principles; roles and responsibilities for coordinators and stakeholders; communication and collaboration among stakeholders; recovery planning guidance; and ways that communities can rebuild stronger, smarter, and safer.
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Hospital staff can utilize this facility recovery checklist to check for potential issues in the facility after a disaster.
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Based on an extensive literature review (including federal guidelines), review of hospital plans, interviews with staff from hospitals affected by critical incidents, and information from a 2013 workshop on recovery-based lessons learned, the authors developed this document to help hospitals prepare to manage recovery from all types of events.
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This book is the result of a consensus study that included several public and closed meetings on disaster recovery. It emphasizes the need to understand that the disaster recovery process offers communities the unique opportunity to not only "return to normal," but to improve upon the status quo. Doing so can improve a community's resilience, health, preparedness for future events, and sustainability. Recommended: Review “Summary of Findings” sections to more easily navigate this extensive resource.
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The authors advocate for the expansion of surge capacity plans to meet the chronic health care needs of vulnerable populations that increase following the acute phase of disaster response. They use a health services model to identify factors that perpetuate health disparities following disasters. To address these disparities, the authors recommend a baseline assessment of needs, with the expectation that such health care needs will expand post-disaster.
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This plan describes how the healthcare organizations in the St. Louis Area region will coordinate regionally to conduct re-entry operations following evacuation or operational interruption as a result of a disaster and includes the role of the medical operations center in coordinating this effort. It also includes information on managing identification, credentialing, and granting access management for healthcare facility personnel after an incident.
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The authors incorporated lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy into this checklist of actions for healthcare, public health, nongovernmental organizations, and private entities to strengthen the resilience of their community’s health sector. There is a general checklist of actions for all stakeholders, as well as guidance provided by type of healthcare facility.
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The U.S. Government Accountability Office was asked to review federal efforts to strengthen disaster resilience during Hurricane Sandy recovery. This report addresses (1) how federal recovery funds were used to enhance resilience; (2) the extent to which states and localities were able to maximize federal funding to enhance resilience; and (3) actions that could enhance resilience for future disasters.
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This guide includes an overview of healthcare continuity of operations planning, customizable templates, and other related resources. It includes links to information on continuity planning, online courses, and other COOP resources.
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This report features information on the "Hospitals Segment" within the Healthcare and Public Health Sector and Direct Patient Healthcare Subsector. The authors share results from assessments and recommendations for improving system and facility resilience.
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This guide is designed to help hospital staff conduct an initial assessment of a hospital after a closure or evacuation due to an emergency event. The guide is divided into 11 sections, each with its own team and assessment assignment: Administration, Facilities, Security and Fire Safety, Information Technology and Communications, Biomedical Engineering, Medical, Ancillary Services, Materials Management, Building and Grounds Maintenance/ Environmental Services, and Support Services.
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Education and Training
This online, self-guided training takes participants through modules on community resiliency and resources, as well as other topics to enhance their resilience following a disaster. Health centers and hospitals are among the target audiences.
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This two-hour course provides individuals supporting disaster recovery efforts with a foundation in National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) key concepts, core principles and roles and responsibilities of NDRF leadership (including those of individuals and households to governmental entities at the local, State, tribal, and Federal levels, and between public, private and nonprofit sectors).
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This 90-minute webinar focuses on ways to mitigate post-disaster recovery costs healthcare systems may face.
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This course defines the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Recovery Support Function and its mission scope. Instructors highlight related mission requirements, methods, and examples of the applicability of HHS day-to-day programs in support of disaster recovery.
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Event-Specific Lessons Learned
Researchers interviewed key officials, community leaders, and individuals affected by the tornadoes that struck Joplin in 2011. This report highlights the town's "positive recovery trajectory," due to four critical actions and accomplishments involving: quick debris removal, the rebuilding and reopening of schools, hospital staff being retained while a sponsor committed to building a new facility, and the establishment of the Citizens Advisory Recovery Team.
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The authors conducted case studies with four cities using four disaster scenarios (earthquake, tsunami, flood, and hurricane) to examine their long-term recovery plans. They conclude that four main variables influence the level of recovery planning: context, governance, framework, and resources.
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This report summarizes the findings from a research project conducted to evaluate how the healthcare system was negatively affected in preparation for, during, and after Hurricane Sandy. Lessons learned from the hospital, EMS, and ancillary services (i.e., pharmacies, methadone clinics, dialysis/kidney centers, and medical supply companies) sectors are noted to assist healthcare professionals, medical facilities, and public health better prepare for future disasters.
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The authors interviewed 30 key informants (KI), including health and social service providers that provide healthcare to the under- and uninsured along the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coast. Pre-disaster issues of importance were patient education and preparedness; evacuation guidance and support; planning for special medical needs shelters; and health care provider preparedness. Post-disaster issues were communication; volunteer coordination/credentialing; and donation management, particularly for medications.
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The authors interviewed 30 key informants, including health and social service providers that provide healthcare to the under- and uninsured along the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coast. Respondents indicated that mental health, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, respiratory illness, end-stage renal disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer were medical management priorities after a disaster. The most frequently mentioned barrier to providing care was maintaining continuity of medications. Inaccessible medical records, poor patient knowledge, and financial constraints also impacted care. Implemented or suggested solutions included better pre-disaster patient education; support for electronic medical records at community health centers; and better management of donated medications/medical supplies.
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Following a number of related technical assistance requests and in anticipation of future information needs from healthcare systems impacted by current and future disasters, ASPR TRACIE developed this white paper to answer the question: “How long does it take the healthcare system to recover from a major hurricane?”
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This after action report provides an overview of the Boston Marathon bombing and the collaborative planning between public health and healthcare that occurred before and in the weeks just after the incident. The report focuses on 10 specific public health and healthcare capabilities and lists related observations, strengths, areas for improvement, and recommendations. There is “a particular emphasis on the recovery efforts and public health's role as it relates to mass care and human service efforts.”
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The author, an architect, describes how the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System was rebuilt by applying the lessons learned from that disaster as well as unique needs of veterans. Key features of the new hospital are meant to ensure that it can continue operations for up to 5 days post-disaster impact, including placement of the Emergency Room on the second floor; placing the generator fill line above the 500-year flood line; placing the generator underground; and placing the power grid on the fourth floor of the hospital.
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This document compiles stories of those that were part of the response and recovery efforts after the Joplin tornado in 2011. The firsthand accounts include lessons learned from the operation of surge medical clinic and volunteer coordination points; coordination of thousands of volunteers; and health care service relocation and other recovery efforts. NOTE: Lessons learned from healthcare facilities are addressed in pages 55-73.
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This document provides an overview of the status of the recovery in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin islands six months after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, with a focus on the health care systems and health needs of residents. It builds on earlier work that examined how residents in Puerto Rico were faring two months after the hurricanes, and key issues for recovery in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands identified during a Fall 2017 roundtable with key stakeholders.
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The authors describe their experience managing a freestanding emergency department at the Bellevue Hospital Center in New York City following Hurricane Sandy. They provide a model that could possibly be replicated to augment and temporarily replace emergency care capacity following future natural disasters.
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In this article, leaders from hospitals affected by natural disasters (including the Joplin tornado in 2011, Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and the Massachusetts snow storms of winter 2014-2015) discuss their experiences with insurance claims, and financial and other considerations related to recovery.
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The authors surveyed 174 Medicare-certified hospitals located in declared disaster areas in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York during Superstorm Sandy and conducted 10 site visits and collected other types of data. They found that a small percent of hospitals (7%) evacuated during the storm (the rest sheltered in place). The report describes several cases of flooded hospitals and recommends continued community disaster collaboration.
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This report describes response and recovery operations by several hospitals during the 2011 natural disasters in Missouri, with many implications for COOP planning. It summarizes lessons learned, with a focus on the Joplin tornado.
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This article discusses some key areas hospitals should focus on to support response and recovery from disasters, including security; mental/behavioral health for staff; telehealth capabilities; plans to mitigate revenue and cash flow interruptions; and ways to leverage resources when part of a larger network.
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This Issue Brief discusses how Puerto Rico's health centers helped to address urgent and emerging health care needs in an environment of limited communications availability, and access to electricity and clean water. The challenges discussed can help healthcare facilities with developing their recovery plans.
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The U.S. Government Accountability Office was asked to review federal efforts to strengthen disaster resilience during Hurricane Sandy recovery. This report addresses (1) how federal recovery funds were used to enhance resilience; (2) the extent to which states and localities were able to maximize federal funding to enhance resilience; and (3) actions that could enhance resilience for future disasters.
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The authors provide an overview of the Division of Recovery, the National Disaster Recovery Framework, and the role of recovery in healthcare preparedness and response capabilities. The document includes lessons learned from several natural disasters around the Nation and links to helpful resources are included in an appendix.
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The authors share lessons they learned from creating and maintaining the "Joplin Tornado Info" and "Branson Tornado Info" Facebook pages. The guidance in this document can help emergency managers set up their own social media platforms and draft messages before an incident occurs.
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General Information
The authors developed a framework for measuring disaster recovery based on five measures: housing stability, economic stability, physical health, mental health, and social role adaptation.
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This 70-page document describes the four capabilities that healthcare coalitions and individual healthcare facilities need to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. The capabilities are: foundation for healthcare and medical readiness; healthcare and medical response coordination; continuity of healthcare service delivery; and medical surge. For example, Capability 1, Objective 4 covers training and preparing the healthcare and medical workforce (Objective 4, Activities 3-5 also contain specific information about exercises within the HPP program) and Capability 3, Objective 7 is focused on coordinating healthcare delivery system recovery.
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This resource discusses disaster response and recovery considerations for office-based providers, including those related to structural safety, insurance, HIPAA data breaches, and financial recovery assistance.
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This ASPR TRACIE TA response provides an extensive literature review of published and grey literature, and open source media accounts of past disaster recovery reports; as well as responses to several questions related to healthcare system’s ability to “recover” and return to baseline (or the “new normal”) following a disaster. Related Topic Collections: Recovery Planning and Continuity of Operations (COOP)/ Failure Plan.
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This ASPR TRACIE TA response provides information from FEMA Regional and ASPR Recovery Division representatives related to how rural hospitals can submit requests for assistance with FEMA paperwork. In addition, it includes several links to resources on how healthcare facilities can apply for grant and funding assistance.
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This tip sheet provides general promising practices—categorized by immediate and short-term needs—for facility executives to consider when trying to retain and care for staff after a disaster or during a public health emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The document can help emergency planners establish an approach and process for creating a multijurisdictional recovery framework for urban areas. The authors focus on chemical, biological, and radiological events.
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This document is a summary of a workshop session during the 2012 Public Health Preparedness Summit that focused on sustaining health care delivery past the response phase of a disaster and the full recovery of local health care delivery systems. The session focused on identifying services to support the affected health care service delivery infrastructure and ways to facilitate long-term recovery. It also includes lessons learned from prior disasters to inform pre-incident planning for recovery and mass casualty care.
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This book is the result of a consensus study that included several public and closed meetings on disaster recovery. It emphasizes the need to understand that the disaster recovery process offers communities the unique opportunity to not only "return to normal," but to improve upon the status quo. Doing so can improve a community's resilience, health, preparedness for future events, and sustainability. Recommended: Review “Summary of Findings” sections to more easily navigate this extensive resource.
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The National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) established the Health and Social Services (H&SS) Recovery Support Function (RSF) to assist locally-led recovery efforts to restore or improve disaster-impacted public health, healthcare, and social services capabilities and networks.
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This report features information on the "Hospitals Segment" within the Healthcare and Public Health Sector and Direct Patient Healthcare Subsector. The authors share results from assessments and recommendations for improving system and facility resilience.
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Guidance/Guidelines
This standard provides criteria to establish, check, maintain, and improve a management system to enhance prevention, preparedness (readiness), mitigation, response, continuity, and recovery from an emergency, crisis, or disaster. This is also one of three standards adopted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Private Sector Preparedness (PS-Prep) Program.
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As disasters continue to have direct effects on healthcare facilities, organizational financial and administrative preparedness capabilities are gaining more attention. This tip sheet provides an overview of eligibility factors, program/grant requirements, and pre- and post-disaster federal financial opportunities (e.g., direct reimbursement and disaster-related loans) for healthcare facilities.
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This document addresses the CMS requirements regarding the temporary hospitals that have been established in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico due to hospital closures impacted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. It also provides information on payment and billing issues.
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Emergency planners can use this guide to learn more about the tasks and challenges that state, tribal, territorial and/or local governments most encounter when managing a recovery process. It includes sections on leading the recovery process, assessment and evaluation, resources identification, and “building resilience into recovery.”
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This planning guide is intended for local governments to help them develop pre-disaster recovery plans. It includes several forms, checklists, and a step-by-step process for local planners to use as they plan for recovery efforts.
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The National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) establishes a common platform and forum for how the whole community builds, sustains, and coordinates delivery of recovery capabilities. It defines core recovery principles; roles and responsibilities for coordinators and stakeholders; communication and collaboration among stakeholders; recovery planning guidance; and ways that communities can rebuild stronger, smarter, and safer.
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Based on an extensive literature review (including federal guidelines), review of hospital plans, interviews with staff from hospitals affected by critical incidents, and information from a 2013 workshop on recovery-based lessons learned, the authors developed this document to help hospitals prepare to manage recovery from all types of events.
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This guide was created to assist eligible applicants in identifying and applying the required federal regulations (44 CRF 13.36) when using FEMA funds for the procurement of disaster and non-disaster materials, supplies, public works projects and services.
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This resource was developed for leaders and includes information presented under nine primary messages from “leaders in disaster recovery around the globe.” The authors supplement each message with quotes, questions to consider, and tools to assist with implementation.
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This guide includes an overview of healthcare continuity of operations planning, customizable templates, and other related resources. It includes links to information on continuity planning, online courses, and other COOP resources.
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This guide provides information on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) hospital reimbursement policies and the related application process.
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This guide is designed to help hospital staff conduct an initial assessment of a hospital after a closure or evacuation due to an emergency event. The guide is divided into 11 sections, each with its own team and assessment assignment: Administration, Facilities, Security and Fire Safety, Information Technology and Communications, Biomedical Engineering, Medical, Ancillary Services, Materials Management, Building and Grounds Maintenance/ Environmental Services, and Support Services.
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Information Technology (IT) and Utility Issues
The authors provide guidance for cyber attack recovery planning and emphasize the importance of learning from past events and developing, testing, and improving recovery planning. This document includes an example scenario that demonstrates guidance and informative metrics that may be helpful for improving information systems resilience.
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The authors of this article discuss the challenges faced in recovering their sterile processing for surgical equipment after floodwater contaminated their public water supply. They provide considerations for recovery plans, such as including a potable water source and a method to connect it to a required location.
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This article describes the planning one health center undertook to secure its data so that it could be accessed after a disaster, and discusses why healthcare information technology must be a priority focus for planning. The authors advocate for increased federal funding and clear guidelines from federal planning partners in support of physical security, data back-up, and redundancy planning, as well as staff training to support these technology needs.
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Non-Hospital Setting
This checklist was created to assist practices that are severely damaged or destroyed with damage assessment and recovery.
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This resource reviews considerations for pediatricians in practice following a disaster. Topics include: first 48 hours after disaster; medical services (i.e., what you can and cannot provide post-disaster); communications; staff; space; insurance; vaccine loss; medical billing; personal care; and long-term recovery.
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ASPR TRACIE presents findings from resources and references related to post-disaster dialysis operations in response to numerous requests for technical assistance. A previously completed technical assistance response on the post-Sandy improvements to dialysis patient management is included for additional reference.
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This is a guidance document for chronic dialysis centers to use in the development of their emergency plans. Pre-event planning, response, and recovery are discussed.
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This article includes lessons learned for caring for patients and staff during hurricanes and wildfires. Lessons pertaining to preparedness, response, and recovery are discussed.
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The authors provide recommendations for an emergency plan for dialysis patients that includes considerations for continuity of care during emergencies, and recovery in the post-disaster setting. Preparedness tasks to ensure patient safety are presented along a timeline.
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Plans, Tools, and Templates
ASPR TRACIE developed this template to help healthcare coalitions (HCCs) develop/ organize their recovery plan. A sample plan outline is provided in Appendix A; recovery plan development support resources from ASPR are included in Appendix B; and Appendix C includes a full list of resources referenced in this template.
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Emergency planners can review the “Demobilization and System Recovery” information at the end of each Job Action Sheet to better understand recovery roles for each position.
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Each guide includes a section on “Demobilization and System Recovery;” emergency planners can incorporate this information into their facility plans.
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The California Hospital Association worked with subject matter experts to identify best practices and regulatory agency requirements that have to be taken into account when repopulating after full or partial evacuation of general acute care hospital inpatient buildings. The guide includes a checklist that can be completed electronically or printed and filled out by hand.
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Hospital staff can utilize this facility recovery checklist to check for potential issues in the facility after a disaster.
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These floorplans can help healthcare facility planners and builders erect temporary, hard-sided facilities to replace buildings damaged by disasters.
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This toolkit was developed to help state hospitals prepare for, respond to, and recover from hurricanes. The plan focuses on sheltering in place and recovery. Included are a series of assessment checklists, including three specifically focused on recovery (demobilization; patient transfer and discharge; and financial resources).
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This document provides a step-by-step guide for hospitals to follow prior to reopening. It includes five primary steps with action items under each.
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This plan describes how the healthcare organizations in the St. Louis Area region will coordinate regionally to conduct re-entry operations following evacuation or operational interruption as a result of a disaster and includes the role of the medical operations center in coordinating this effort. It also includes information on managing identification, credentialing, and granting access management for healthcare facility personnel after an incident.
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The authors incorporated lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy into this checklist of actions for healthcare, public health, nongovernmental organizations, and private entities to strengthen the resilience of their community’s health sector. There is a general checklist of actions for all stakeholders, as well as guidance provided by type of healthcare facility.
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This guide includes an overview of healthcare continuity of operations planning, customizable templates, and other related resources. It includes links to information on continuity planning, online courses, and other COOP resources.
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This guide is designed to help hospital staff conduct an initial assessment of a hospital after a closure or evacuation due to an emergency event. The guide is divided into 11 sections, each with its own team and assessment assignment: Administration, Facilities, Security and Fire Safety, Information Technology and Communications, Biomedical Engineering, Medical, Ancillary Services, Materials Management, Building and Grounds Maintenance/ Environmental Services, and Support Services.
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Agencies and Organizations
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