Community Disaster Planning

We earned Joint Commission accreditation during the fall of 2022 and with that came a requirement to develop a company disaster plan outlining how we would continue business operations in the event of an emergency. To take it a step further, I reached out to Linn County Emergency Management to collaborate on how to create a community-wide disaster plan and our potential role in reacting to and recovering from an emergency. I attended a Healthcare Planning Exercise at the Linn County Emergency Management headquarters on January 19, 2024, along with Linn County Public Health and other healthcare organizations.

Rather than feeling like we are separate entities dealing with a disaster when it strikes, we can better collaborate with each other to protect the public, share resources, and, hopefully, recover faster by practicing how we would work together in times of crisis. Later in the year, we will convene again to conduct a “tabletop exercise” whereby emergency officials, public health and attendees of the January meeting will discuss measures to take during different disaster scenarios. It is important for everyone to think about what we would do during different emergencies and have a plan in place to maintain our safety!  Right at Home nurses and aides help their clients develop their own emergency preparedness plan as part of our services.