The South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations (SDAHO) recently took part in a statewide Emergency Preparedness exercise. The event, which was organized and facilitated by the South Dakota Healthcare Coalition, happened on Thursday May 16, 2024, from the Emergency Command Center in Sioux Falls, SD.
Participants, which included hospitals and long-term care providers across the state, were given a scenario, and then tasked with putting together their own emergency plan. An email was distributed from SDAHO to members outlining the scenario and the association’s involvement with the exercise, including additional information should members be impacted with an actual emergency. Participants and members were told the emergency included a massive flood impacting communities along the Missouri River. In addition, healthcare systems were notified that many individuals in those areas were experiencing flu like symptoms, with two people testing positive for Malaria, one in the Dakota Dunes and one in Fort. Pierre.
Tammy Hatting, COO, SDAHO, “We appreciate our partnership with the South Dakota Healthcare Coalition and for inviting SDAHO to the command center for today’s exercise. We were able to contribute to the response during the drill and appreciate how important these exercises are in preparing our healthcare entities in the event of a disaster. In addition, it helps us better understand how SDAHO can serve our members should they be impacted with an emergency and need assistance.”
Dr. Gregory Santa Maria, Emergency Management Professional and Executive Director of the SDHCC alongside Scot Phelps, a consultant in the fields of Disaster and Ambulance Science prepared the exercise event.
SDAHO is a member of the coalition and serves as a liaison between the coalition and the SD Department of Health and our members. “Part of our role, as a member of the coalition, is to monitor the situation during an emergency and ensure our members are kept up to date and have all the resources they may need. Our members may also need access to the South Dakota Crisis Standards of Care, which SDAHO houses on our website” Tammy Hatting, COO, SDAHO.
The South Dakota Crisis Standards of Care could be implemented when a public health or disaster event overwhelms usual health and medical resources, capabilities, and capacities, resulting in an inability of the healthcare system to provide the standard levels of care to patients. This plan provides the guidelines needed for collaborative development of crisis standards of care across South Dakota and throughout the country.
For more information on the South Dakota Health Care Coalition or future emergency preparedness exercises, visit their website: southdakotahcc.org.
