Is Your Long-Term Care Community Ready for the Next Emergency Event?

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Be prepared” is not only the motto of the Boy Scouts of America; it is also sound advice for administrators and staff in long-term care communities. Having a plan in place for keeping food services running in the event of an emergency is not only sound advice, it is essential to keeping your community well-fed and hydrated should something disastrous happen.

In the past year, we saw Mother Nature unleash hurricanes, bomb cyclones, fierce cold, wildfires and mudslides throughout the country. Tragedy struck a Florida nursing home when Hurricane Irma knocked out the transformer that powered the air conditioning unit causing the deaths of several residents due to heat exposure.

CMS 2016 final Emergency Preparedness Rule requires Medicare and Medicaid participating providers and suppliers to plan for natural and man-made disasters in collaboration with federal, state, regional and local emergency preparedness organizations. Participating providers must conduct a risk assessment, develop an emergency plan, implement policies and procedures, communicate the plan, develop training and testing programs and update the plan annually.

For an in-depth assessment of how prepared you are in the event of an emergency as well as a host of supportive materials, visit our Emergency Preparedness web page. That way you can see where you stand. As always, if you would like to talk about how we can help you with your dining services, schedule a complimentary consultation today.

About Gail Douglas

Gail joined BSN Solutions as a Regional Director in March of 2013. Her role is to promote the adoption of the new dining standards and person-centered dining throughout the communities serviced by BSN Solutions. She also recruits, coordinates placement of, and supports the dietitian consultants who work with BSN Solutions in its client communities. Gail has a vast 30+ year background in long-term care, having worked within skilled nursing and rehab centers in clinical and management capacities. She holds a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Nutrition.
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