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Best Practice in Emergency

Communications

Shelly Raffle, ManagerEmergency Response System

Visiting Nurse Service of NY

HCA Emergency Preparedness Annual Meeting

June 10, 2010

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Emergency Communications Begins

Before Anything Happens

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Train Staff Expectations and Response

To pay attention and respond appropriately: Identifiable/Consistent

Design/style Sender

Repetition and Frequency Identify opportunities for communications Regular testing

Reliable Accurate, current, helpful, truthful

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Branding

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Branding

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Branding

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Planning

Identify realistic, common scenarios Based on results of your Hazard Vulnerability

Assessment Who needs the information and what do they

need to know? Pre-plan anticipated responses

Message mapping/pre-set communication templates Ensure redundancies Develop & test communications

tools/messages/plans

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Who?

Executive/Management

INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS

Corporate Board of Directors

Program/Department Staff

All Staff

Patients

Incident Command Team

Office Staff

Field Staff

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Who?

Local DOH

EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS

State DOH

Affiliated CHHAs/LHHCAs/Hospitals

Local OEM

Social Service Agencies

Press/Media

Fire

Police

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What?

Information Outgoing? Incoming? Both?

Instructional Are responses needed?

Data Reporting/Sharing Event/Incident Management

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Agency Level Tools

Public Information/Risk Communications Program/Department Business Continuity Plans Broadcast Email or Voice mail- one way Employee Emergency Hotline – one way Intranet – one way Internet – one way Mass Notification System – two way RISK Hotline – one way, incoming Agency Coordination/Data Reporting

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VNSNY Intranet – ERS Sharepoint Site

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Program Business Continuity Communications Plans

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Program Business Continuity Communications Plans

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www.vnsny.org

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www.vnsny.org

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AlertFind – MessageOne

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AlertFind – MessageOneBroadcast Groups Pre-Set:

Company Department/Program Location Region Field Staff

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RISK Hotline

Triggers Emergency Response Plan / Incident Command Team Activation Covered 24/7 On all employee ID cards Calling RISK incorporated into

annual evacuation exercises Tested six times a year

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Agency Coordination:Emergency HHA Bidding System

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Agency Coordination:Data Reporting

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Incident Management Communications

Internal Outlook mailboxes by ICS Role & ERS documents

Accessible in or out of office Text messaging on cell phones enabled for ICS

Team ICS Contact Card – online and wallet versions Virtual or Physical EOC Activation Evacuation Team 2-way radios in multi-floor

buildings Clinical and Admin Status Reports – annual testing

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Outlook Mailboxes

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ICS Contact Card

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Emergency Status Reports

• Clinical Programs

• Administrative Programs

• HCCs

• From Outlook Forms or

• Hard Copy from Intranet

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Incident Management Communications

External 800 Mhz Radio – OEM GETS Connectivity OEM Advanced Warning System Home Based Care Liaison at NYC OEM NYS Health Provider Network

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GETS Accounts – ICS Team

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OEM / NYC DOHMHAdvanced Warning System

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Incident Command Team: Communications Roles

Public Information Officer Media / Risk Communications

Liaison Officer Agencies/Hospitals/OEM/Health Depts Interagency Conference Calls

Safety and Security Officer NYPD

Regional Branch Directors (Operations) Evacuation Teams (2 way radios) Clinical Programs Status Report

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Incident Command Communications Roles

Human Resources Section Chief All staff communications

Creates/distributes broadcast emails/voice messages Updates Employee Information Hotline Creates/distributes AlertFind notifications

Planning Section Chief Monitoring situational reports including Advance

Warning System postings & mailings Administration Section Chief

Administration Units Status Reports HHA Status Data Collection

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Incident Command Communications Roles ERS Manager

Update and manage all plan documents, accounts and permissions

Advises departmental BC planning Design and conduct tests of plans and

procedures, including Communications Plans, Status Reports and RISK Hotline Notifications

OEM HBCTF Representative Daily monitoring of 800 Mhz radio and primary

agency HPN Coordinator

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Communications Success

Targeted planning – who? / what? / how? Identifiable & trustworthy spokespersons Well-developed BC Plans: default/alternate

procedures clearly identified and understood by staff when systems/ communications goes down or facility becomes unavailable

Staff trained and procedures tested routinely After Action: errors or problems identified quickly –

plans modified and updates/changes communicated

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Thank you!

Shelly Raffle, ManagerEmergency Response SystemVisiting Nurse Service of New York212-609-7564sraffle@vnsny.org

GETS URL: http://gets.ncs.gov/

Information on Risk Communications and Message Mapping/Dr. Vincent Covello:

http://www.maqweb.org/techbriefs/tb49riskcomn.shtml