But planning for such disasters begins long before the calendar turns over to June 1. Martin Memorial Health Systems has learned the value of preparation from first-hand experience after being hit by three hurricanes in two years, as well as by watching and learning how other hospitals respond to crises.

 

But hospitals must not only be ready for natural disasters such as hurricanes or tornadoes. We must also be prepared to deal with things that can go wrong at any time – a radiological event, a chemical spill, an influenza epidemic. Whatever the “disaster,” our job is to be able to react to anything that is thrown at us.

 

That means being prepared for a wide variety of situations. To do so, we develop and nurture relationships with local, state and regional emergency management organizations, members of the business community, and other health care providers in an effort to ensure resources and support are available.

 

One way we build those partnerships is by holding training exercises to ensure readiness, identify areas that need enhancement, and find ways to improve them. That includes drills with local emergency management agencies, but also organizations like FPL that are part of the critical infrastructure in our community.

 

We also hold frequent drills and planning sessions with Martin Memorial associates, incorporating not only clinical care providers and emergency management personnel, but also leadership team members and support staff. This allows each individual to know what role he or she will play when the time comes.

 

Planning is imperative to successfully mitigating an emergency situation. Preparation allows us in advance to know where resources will be and to know who will be working with us before, during and after the incident. Ultimately, this increases response times and can reduce the amount of recovery time.

 

Regardless of what the nature of the incident is, we have a plan in place, we follow the plan, then we evaluate our response so we can improve it the next time. As a result, our disaster preparations are constantly evolving and becoming more refined.

Over the years, hospitals have become more sophisticated in emergency management. Because of their vital role in the community infrastructure, there is a tremendous responsibility for hospitals to be prepared to handle whatever disaster situation arises.

 

It is a responsibility we take very seriously at Martin Memorial, and one that constantly drives us to be ready in times of need.