Four things to know:
1. Environmental disasters — including hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, floods and heatwaves — have “increased exponentially” since 1980 due to climate change, according to The Joint Commission. As these events can develop or intensify quickly, hospitals must have strong disaster planning protocols for evacuations and shelter-in-place situations.
2. The alert provides guidance for healthcare leaders to ensure they’re meeting The Joint Commission’s emergency management standards and proactively managing risks from environmental disasters.
3. The resource also outlines safety actions for organizations, including updating emergency plans annually, creating a resilient communications structure and fostering relationships with first responders, health officials and other healthcare providers in the region.
4. The alert comes after two major hurricanes swept through the Southeast this fall, causing significant damage and disruption to healthcare operations.
Read the full alert here.
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