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When Disaster Strikes
Your mission-deliver services to meet demand-is no different from any other day, except during a disaster, your laboratory is overwhelmed by demand or crippled by circumstance.
By Scott Warner, MLT(ASCP)
Posted on:
August 29, 2011
So far, 2011 is shaping up to be a disaster. We've faced earthquakes, hurricanes and flooding. Tornadoes and wildfires have devastated large sections of Alabama, Missouri and Arizona, killing hundreds of people, crushing entire neighborhoods, and destroying thousands of acres.
The chair of the Homeland Security Appropriations Committee has asked for more money. "FEMA will have to stop recovery efforts in 50 states in spring 2012," she warned.
There has never been a better time to plan. Your laboratory plays a critical role in service maintenance and recovery in a disaster. By understanding a few concepts, you can build your own plans and be prepared when disaster strikes.
 Why Plan?
Large-scale disasters, like hurricanes and smaller-scale disasters, like disease outbreaks, can seem unlikely. It is overwhelming to anticipate every contingency and easy to accept that someone else will step up.
However, the lessons of Hurricane Katrina and the emergent threat of pandemic influenza that followed made planning a local priority. Rex Astles, PhD, a senior health scientist with the CDC, warned, "Don't expect the government to have immediate solution for you if there is a pandemic influenza or SARS, or if your facility is flooded or experiences an earthquake." He added, "Response will be local, which was very clear in the response to Katrina."
The Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations identifies planning weaknesses. Rural hospitals are especially handicapped by a lack of resources and surge capacity to handle events such as hazardous chemical exposures, prolonged power outages and fire damage. Disaster preparedness depends on laboratory planning.
Begin by asking, "Do I know what the plan is?" Read more by clicking on the link below.
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