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Abstract
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This editorial comments on the articles by Festa et al and Hua et al.
Nearly two decades ago, Hurricane Katrina exposed major gaps in disaster preparedness in nursing homes, whose residents are at the highest risk of harm because of their physical and psychological vulnerabilities.1, 2 Government reports and research documented chaotic evacuations and dangerous sheltering-in-place conditions resulting from poorly developed and executed disaster preparedness plans.3-5 A 2006 report from the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Inspector General (OIG) discussed numerous cases of inadequate preparedness in nursing homes across five hurricane-prone U.S. states, even though 94% of those audited technically met the standards set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) at the time.6
The reports gave rise to a number of federal, state, and local efforts to shore up regulatory requirements and operational practices in nursing homes, particularly in disaster-prone states.7-9 Emergency management is now recognized as a critical element of nursing home operations, and preparedness appears to have improved,10, 11 but government audits, research, and repeated disaster experiences, provide evidence of continuing gaps.12
In the article "Evaluating California Nursing Homes' Emergency Preparedness for Wildfire Exposure," Festa et al.13 raise additional concerns about nursing home preparedness. The authors identified 495 nursing homes across California (42%) that were within 5 km of a state-designated "wildfire risk area" and found that the risk-exposed facilities were more likely to have been cited for deficient emergency preparedness practices than nursing homes outside these risk areas...
Language: en |