Emergency preparedness—Disaster response and recovery tips, including mutual aid plans (MAPs)
By Jane Danner | January 10, 2025 | SNF/NF providers
Have you prepared for winter by reviewing and updating your emergency preparedness plan? Are you familiar with mutual aid plans and are they incorporated into your emergency preparedness plan? Long-term care mutual aid plans (MAP) are collaborative networks of providers that maintain voluntary agreements to support each other before, during, and after a disaster. These formalized partnerships can provide a facility for various resources such as supplies, equipment, personnel, pharmaceuticals, transportation, or even evacuation destinations when a disaster overwhelms their community or exceeds the capability of their own internal emergency preparedness program.
While MAPs are primarily made up of long-term care providers, they often include other collaborative partners, including various healthcare organizations, governmental organizations, and community groups. After natural catastrophes, such as hurricanes, MAPs can provide critical support, helping affected facilities to recover, reopen, and provide essential care to their residents.
The key to an effective MAP is establishing partnership before disaster strikes. MAP groups can start small. Participants are typically linked by geography (e.g., a town, county, or region), sometimes expanding to statewide or cross-state groups. MAP plans, and the associated agreements to support each other work best when documented and formally agreed to by the participants.
A natural path to develop a MAP is through an established healthcare coalition.
Healthcare coalitions often include the healthcare continuum of care. MAP agreements should clearly define roles, responsibilities, and expectations, including protocols for resource sharing, reimbursement, and liability. Comprehensive Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) should be developed and signed by all participating facilities. It is important that MAPs partner with local emergency management agencies and public health officials to ensure alignment with their disaster response plans and protocols. Effective MAPs will conduct regular training and exercises. Exercises are key to educating, testing, and ensuring MAP’s effectiveness. Exercises should include, but not be limited to, scenarios that focus on both shelter in place and evacuation.
Key community partners to develop a MAP may include the following:
- Local health departments: Local health departments provide access to medical supplies and can assist in efforts to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases, ensure the safe disposal of medical waste, and facilitate vaccination campaigns if needed
- Emergency management agencies (EMAs): EMAs provide logistical support, coordinate evacuations, and manage temporary shelters; they can assist with resources like generators, emergency transportation, and shelter supplies
- Non-profit organizations and volunteer groups: Non-profits and volunteer groups, such as the American Red Cross, offer labor, financial aid, and essential supplies; they can assist in securing food, water, hygiene kits, and other necessary items for residents
- Key suppliers and vendors: Suppliers and vendors, especially pharmacies, grocery stores, and transportation companies, can be valuable partners in recovery efforts; transportation companies may also provide emergency transport for staff or residents when roads are impassable, or traditional services are unavailable
- Faith-based organizations and local community groups: Faith-based organizations and local community groups are often among the first to mobilize after a disaster, offering shelter, meals, and community support; organizations can partner with these groups to establish temporary shelters or offer spiritual support to residents and staff
- Community-based organizations: Community-based organizations may provide mental health support, which is crucial during the aftermath of a disaster and can assist individuals cope with heightened stress, anxiety, and trauma
- Hospitals and medical providers: Hospitals and medical providers are essential partners. A key opportunity for cultivating these relationships is through participation in regional Healthcare Coalitions (HCCs). These coalitions work to prepare healthcare organizations to respond to emergencies and disasters and increase local and regional resilience. This collaborative approach enhances coordination in patient care and helps manage the flow of patients between hospitals and LTC organizations, preventing healthcare systems from being overwhelmed.
Collaborating with other providers through a MAP is an effective resource to complement your organization’s emergency preparedness program. Partnerships such as MAPs can mitigate the impact of a disaster, ensure continuity of operations, and support rapid recovery. Some AHCA/NCAL members participate in well-organized MAPs in various regions of the country. For more information on MAPs, email:
emergencyprep@ahca.org or reach out to your state affiliate.
Long-term care (LTC) organizations play a critical role in managing health and safety during and after such events. However, the recovery process is complex and difficult to tackle alone. By actively engaging with MAPs/various stakeholders, LTC organizations can significantly enhance healthcare recovery efforts.
Natural disasters, such as snowstorms, freezing pipes, power outages, collapsed roofs, pose serious challenges to long term care organizations. In the aftermath LTC organizations may face structural damage, displacement of residents, staff shortages, and disrupted access to critical resources like medications and medical equipment. Engaging community partners can transform the recovery process into a coordinated, efficient effort that better serves residents and staff, helps to address resource gaps, coordinate care, and ensure that recovery efforts are coordinated with broader community needs. Such partnerships create a robust network of support, enabling facilities to enhance their resilience and navigate the complexities of recovery. This ensures the vulnerable populations they serve receive the care and resources they need to recover after a natural disaster.
The various areas of focus to avoid EP deficiencies are developing/updating your Emergency Preparedness Program, ensure standby power for emergencies, complete testing/exercises/drills, and staff training per regulation, maintain documentation of “exercises/drills” and training.
Excellent resources are available through the Metro Health Medical and Health Preparedness Coalition. These resources are available to facilities and were created with the intention of being customized by facilities to assist with planning. Note: use of these tools does not guarantee regulatory compliance.
Additional resources
Jane Danner | Director of Regulatory Services |
jdanner@careproviders.org | 952-851-2489