In an article in November's edition of the journal Academic Emergency Medicine, researchers from the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) conclude that among hospitals in Los Angeles County, disaster preparedness appears to be limited by a failure to fully integrate interagency training and planning along with a severely limited surge capacity. Surge capacity is a health care system's ability to rapidly expand beyond normal services to meet the increased demand for medical care in the event of a large-scale disaster.
According to the lead author, Amy H. Kaji, MD, MPH, LA BioMed investigator and emergency department physician at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, "Because hospitals do not function in isolation during a disaster, it is essential for emergency medical services (EMS) and hospital disaster plans to be integrated into the community disaster plan. Yet, very few hospitals have emphasized the importance of having a realistic plan and very few hospital planners have actually experienced a disaster."
The study was a descriptive, cross-sectional survey of forty-five 9-1-1 receiving hospitals in Los Angeles County. The researchers evaluated ten areas of hospital disaster preparedness, including plan structure, medical supplies, involvement of law enforcement and surge capacity. Among their findings was that although 96% of hospitals conducted multiagency drills, only 16% actually involved other agencies in their disaster planning.
According to researcher Roger J. Lewis, MD, PhD, "When this information was collected in 2004, we found a generally a high level of availability of equipment and supplies while, on the other hand, there were significant shortages of ventilators, chemical antidotes, and antibiotics and a failure to fully integrate interagency training and planning. Most importantly, hospitals in Los Angeles County are often full with a severely limited surge capacity."
Carol Meyer, the Director of the Los Angeles County EMS Agency, the entity that oversees medical and health disaster preparedness in Los Angeles County, notes that "Since Drs. Kaji and Lewis performed their study, the LA County EMS Agency has developed hospital Disaster Resource Centers whose primary purpose is to facilitate integration of hospital-based disaster plans with EMS and other community resources. This integration is a high priority for Los Angeles County."
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Contact: Amy Kaji Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed)
> In an article in November's edition of the journal Academic Emergency > Medicine, researchers from the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute > at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) conclude that among hospitals in > Los Angeles County, disaster preparedness appears to be limited by a > failure to fully integrate interagency training and planning along with a > severely limited surge capacity. Surge capacity is a health care system's > ability to rapidly expand beyond normal services to meet the increased > demand for medical care in the event of a large-scale disaster.
> According to the lead author, Amy H. Kaji, MD, MPH, LA BioMed investigator > and emergency department physician at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, "Because > hospitals do not function in isolation during a disaster, it is essential > for emergency medical services (EMS) and hospital disaster plans to be > integrated into the community disaster plan. Yet, very few hospitals have > emphasized the importance of having a realistic plan and very few hospital > planners have actually experienced a disaster."
> The study was a descriptive, cross-sectional survey of forty-five 9-1-1 > receiving hospitals in Los Angeles County. The researchers evaluated ten > areas of hospital disaster preparedness, including plan structure, medical > supplies, involvement of law enforcement and surge capacity. Among their > findings was that although 96% of hospitals conducted multiagency drills, > only 16% actually involved other agencies in their disaster planning.
> According to researcher Roger J. Lewis, MD, PhD, "When this information > was collected in 2004, we found a generally a high level of availability > of equipment and supplies while, on the other hand, there were significant > shortages of ventilators, chemical antidotes, and antibiotics and a > failure to fully integrate interagency training and planning. Most > importantly, hospitals in Los Angeles County are often full with a > severely limited surge capacity."
> Carol Meyer, the Director of the Los Angeles County EMS Agency, the entity > that oversees medical and health disaster preparedness in Los Angeles > County, notes that "Since Drs. Kaji and Lewis performed their study, the > LA County EMS Agency has developed hospital Disaster Resource Centers > whose primary purpose is to facilitate integration of hospital-based > disaster plans with EMS and other community resources. This integration is > a high priority for Los Angeles County."
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> Contact: Amy Kaji > Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center > (LA BioMed)
My hospital just had a REAL disaster, and, I'm proud to say, responded promptly and effectively. No sick or injured people suffered a lack of appropriate medical care, and the co-ordination of all the EMS agencies came off just as we had practiced in disaster drills. Repair of the damage to our facility is nearly complete, and we are offering all the services that were available before the earthquake just one month ago.
The only thing that failed was the emergency public communications system. The radio stations that people are instructed to tune to did not come on the air until more than an hour after the earthquake hit, and the information they had to offer was scant and partly incorrect. This was particularly stressful to people at low elevations who were desperate to know whether a tsunami was emanent (none occurred).
Could it have been worse? Could we have been damaged to the point that we at the hospital could not have functioned effectively? Could we have been overwhelmed with earthquake injuries if the magnitude had been 7.4 rather than 6.4? Of course, just as the EMS broke down in New Orleans. But if that had happened, it would not have been the result of poor planning or poor training.
My hat is off to the Hawaii County Disaster Planning Committee, and the disaster committee at Kona Community Hospital. --
>> In an article in November's edition of the journal Academic Emergency >> Medicine, researchers from the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute >> at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) conclude that among hospitals >> in Los Angeles County, disaster preparedness appears to be limited by a >> failure to fully integrate interagency training and planning along with a >> severely limited surge capacity. Surge capacity is a health care system's >> ability to rapidly expand beyond normal services to meet the increased >> demand for medical care in the event of a large-scale disaster.
>> According to the lead author, Amy H. Kaji, MD, MPH, LA BioMed >> investigator and emergency department physician at Harbor-UCLA Medical >> Center, "Because hospitals do not function in isolation during a >> disaster, it is essential for emergency medical services (EMS) and >> hospital disaster plans to be integrated into the community disaster >> plan. Yet, very few hospitals have emphasized the importance of having a >> realistic plan and very few hospital planners have actually experienced a >> disaster."
>> The study was a descriptive, cross-sectional survey of forty-five 9-1-1 >> receiving hospitals in Los Angeles County. The researchers evaluated ten >> areas of hospital disaster preparedness, including plan structure, >> medical supplies, involvement of law enforcement and surge capacity. >> Among their findings was that although 96% of hospitals conducted >> multiagency drills, only 16% actually involved other agencies in their >> disaster planning.
>> According to researcher Roger J. Lewis, MD, PhD, "When this information >> was collected in 2004, we found a generally a high level of availability >> of equipment and supplies while, on the other hand, there were >> significant shortages of ventilators, chemical antidotes, and antibiotics >> and a failure to fully integrate interagency training and planning. Most >> importantly, hospitals in Los Angeles County are often full with a >> severely limited surge capacity."
>> Carol Meyer, the Director of the Los Angeles County EMS Agency, the >> entity that oversees medical and health disaster preparedness in Los >> Angeles County, notes that "Since Drs. Kaji and Lewis performed their >> study, the LA County EMS Agency has developed hospital Disaster Resource >> Centers whose primary purpose is to facilitate integration of >> hospital-based disaster plans with EMS and other community resources. >> This integration is a high priority for Los Angeles County."
>> ###
>> Contact: Amy Kaji >> Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center >> (LA BioMed)
> My hospital just had a REAL disaster, and, I'm proud to say, responded > promptly and effectively. No sick or injured people suffered a lack of > appropriate medical care, and the co-ordination of all the EMS agencies > came off just as we had practiced in disaster drills. Repair of the damage > to our facility is nearly complete, and we are offering all the services > that were available before the earthquake just one month ago.
> The only thing that failed was the emergency public communications system. > The radio stations that people are instructed to tune to did not come on > the air until more than an hour after the earthquake hit, and the > information they had to offer was scant and partly incorrect. This was > particularly stressful to people at low elevations who were desperate to > know whether a tsunami was emanent (none occurred).
> Could it have been worse? Could we have been damaged to the point that we > at the hospital could not have functioned effectively? Could we have been > overwhelmed with earthquake injuries if the magnitude had been 7.4 rather > than 6.4? Of course, just as the EMS broke down in New Orleans. But if > that had happened, it would not have been the result of poor planning or > poor training.
> My hat is off to the Hawaii County Disaster Planning Committee, and the > disaster committee at Kona Community Hospital. > --
Mine is too, if what you say is true. That's wonderful. However, it is not so with Los Angeles County.
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