Did a nursing home that was struck by a tornado have an Emergency Preparedness Plan in place to ensure that the 170 residents living in the facility along with their medical records were able to be safely evacuated and relocated to secure locations?
Compliance Perspective – Tornado
Policies and Procedures: The Compliance and Ethics Officer with the Risk/Safety Manager, DON and Administrator will review the facility’s policies and procedures to ensure they comply with 2017 CMS Emergency Preparedness Requirements. Education and Training: Staff will be trained about the procedure for evacuating the residents under several types of hazardous conditions, i.e., floods, fires, hurricanes, tornadoes etc. Training will include HIPAA-compliant handling of residents’ medical records; communication with federal, state and local authorities; communication with family members of residents; and assigning staff to accompany residents to interim facilities. Auditing: The facility will conduct evacuation drills at least annually or more often if indicated. Data will be collected regarding the effectiveness of the evacuations drills and the responsiveness of staff in carrying them out. Results of the audit will be collected and provided to QAPI/QAA and the Risk/Safety Manager.
Tuesday, October 2, the National Weather Service issued a warning that a tornado categorized as an EF-2 with winds up to 115 miles per hour and a 50-yard-wide path was located near a Pennsylvania town. Soon after this warning occurred, the tornado struck a local nursing home where 170 residents lived. The roof and walls of the facility were severely damaged, and all 170 residents were evacuated.
Although it was initially reported that there was one person injured by the tornado, that was an incorrect report. There were no serious injuries reported, but two of the residents were taken to the hospital with unrelated issues.
Along with the damage to roof and walls of the facility, the tornado caused a severe gas leak.
The county provided buses to take residents and employees to safety, and many of the residents who were sheltered in a nearby middle school for the night will remain there until officials find locations in other area facilities.
