September is National Preparedness Month. This year’s campaign theme is “Preparing for Older Adults” and will focus on preparing older adults for disaster, specifically older adults from communities that are disproportionally impacted by all-hazard events, which continue to threaten the nation. More information on the campaign can be found on FEMA’s Ready.gov National Preparedness Month website.
The theme this year focuses on preparing older adults, but it is a good reminder for everyone to be prepared for disasters. Visit FEMA’s Ready.gov page to learn more about how to prepare for emergencies, including tips on how to create an emergency plan and how to build useful emergency kits.
OSHA has a great Emergency Preparedness and Response webpage with worker safety and health preparedness and response information on severe weather events and natural disasters, oil, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive incidents, and toxins and disease agents.
2023 has already shown us a wide range of emergency events such as unprecedented severe storms, major flooding, tornadoes, and wildfires that can disrupt our lives and our communities.
Looking for additional resources specific to healthcare emergency preparedness? During SDAHO’s Annual Convention, Sept. 21-22, Dr. Greg Santa Maria will discuss how healthcare preparedness is evolving to require more robust planning efforts, and how facility leadership roles are changing. With new NFPA 1660 regulations and the coming changes in the hospital preparedness program, healthcare leadership teams need to take a close look at their program structure and redefine their level of readiness. Click here to register.
