The HRPDC, with support from the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Medical Response System (HRMMRS), hosted the Healthcare Organizations Emergency Preparedness Seminars (HOEPS) in May. The two one-day events were held on the Southside and Peninsula and focused on disaster recovery planning for nursing homes, assisted living facilities and group homes. The seminars, endorsed by the Regional Emergency Management Technical Advisory Committee (REMTAC) under HRPDC, originated from a grant for the city of Chesapeake in 2007 to become an annual regional event.

This year’s keynote speaker was Julia Fretwell, Administrator of the Sentara Nursing Center-Currituck, located in Currituck County, North Carolina. Ms. Fretwell presented lessons she learned while overseeing two evacuations at the 100-bed skilled nursing facility during Hurricanes Isabel and Irene.  Ms. Fretwell offered specific pointers about evacuations and returns such as:

• pre-determining policies for housing staff family members during an emergency
• having a driver check the route home to ensure the roads are open
• securing a replenished stock of medicine ready for the return of the residents, and
• enlisting all staff members to support the evacuation and re-arrival of the residents.

The seminar also included presentations on Closed Points of Emergency Medical Countermeasures Dispensing by Robert Rendin, Emergency Health Planner with the Chesapeake Health District and Weather Radio Operations by William Sammler, Warning Coordination Meteorologist at National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration/National Weather Service.

In addition, HOEPS 2012 provided participants the opportunity to engage in a tabletop exercise focused on a nursing facility whose staff and residents sheltered-in-place during a Category 3 Hurricane and face the recovery phase.  Local emergency managers/health planners facilitated discussions on possible responses to the scenarios posed during the exercise.  The HOEPS 2012 seminars were well-received with one participant noting that attendance at the seminars should be mandatory for all congregate care facilities in the Hampton Roads region.

HRPDC Regional Emergency Management Administrator addresses the 2012 HOEPS participants.

The two one-day 2012 HOEPS events were held on the Southside and Peninsula and focused on disaster recovery planning for nursing homes, assisted living facilities and group homes.