Page 27 - CANNABIS NEWS FLORIDA JULY 2020

Do You Have a COVID-19 Hurricane Plan?

Although we all feel the impact of the religious, cultural, social, eco- the availability of essential equipment and
pandemic, it is our most vulnerable popu- nomic, geographic, and ethnic supplies, such as medication and oxygen.
lations that are the hardest hit. You know backgrounds of patient popula- Healthcare providers should be aware of
this, and you have a good plan for COVID- tions, in an effort to avoid dis- the current need for advanced stockpiling
19, and now hurricane season is here, hav- crimination toward any group or of resources and the costs associated with
ing begun on June 1 in the Atlantic/ diagnosis and to avoid potential such planning.
Caribbean. Governmental entities, includ- disparity in treatment. We must Providing for continued COVID-19 test-
ing health departments and health care expect that ideal staffing levels ing and quarantines, in the case of a local
providers throughout South Florida, are may not be possible, at times, and outbreak, will be another a major consid-
analyzing what impact the COVID-19 that staff will have to provide eration that providers will have to address
pandemic will have on this year’s natural more “triaged” services during a as we move into this hurricane season,
disaster planning and response efforts. natural disaster coupled with a including how quarantining and testing
Hurricane activity is predicted to be slight- BY PAUL R. DEMURO, PHD, JD, MBA, COVID-19 threat, compared to will be continued as disasters hit and
ly higher in intensity compared to last FACMPE, FHFMA, CHC, AND ERIN F. “normal” times. Healthcare staff providers experience the aftermath of a
year, with 16 named storms and 8 hurri- MACLEAN, JD, CHC, CHPC should be trained on what will be disaster.
canes predicted, 4 of which are expected to expected in providing for the In this post-Katrina world, the public
be classified as major hurricanes; the prob- nerable patient populations. Plans must basic needs of all patients, on a non-dis- expects transparency in our actions, and
ability of major hurricanes making landfall provide clarity on the distribution of sup- criminatory basis, under all foreseeable cir- our actions will be judged in the court of
on the Florida peninsula is 45 percent. As plies among those being served, and allo- cumstances. public opinion. How well we plan, how
our localities open up and the hurricane cation details must be preplanned to avoid Healthcare employers must also consid- robustly we respond and how quickly we
threat approaches, we are planning for the discrimination in decision-making, actual er how they can provide for the basic are able to recover from any disaster will
likelihood of two emergencies hitting at or perceived. The threat of COVID-19 needs of staff members to ensure that staff be measured by how we care for those who
once - a COVID-19 surge and a hurricane. spread also requires that our plans consid- can continue to provide care to patients, are most vulnerable. We, in South Florida,
The nationwide death toll related to er and address physical space limitations such as providing staff meals, protection have always been at the forefront of disas-
COVID-19 reminds us that disasters do and social distancing needs presented by from illness and shelter. For instance, can ter planning and our first responders and
not affect people equally, and the threat of an outbreak in close quarters during a nat- staffing quarters be provided in close healthcare providers are among the best in
a hurricane exposes the vulnerabilities in ural disaster. vicinity to the provider’s location? How the nation. We will be ready.
emergency planning for our vulnerable We should also clearly set out our orga- would this work with little to no notice?
populations. For this reason, our disaster nization’s ethical principles and how those Disaster planning this year also needs to Paul DeMuro, Chief Legal Officer Health
planning must be especially robust, now, principles will be applied in times of take into account the availability of per- and Wellness, the Royal Palm Companies,
and we must take into account the likeli- scarcity to support those in our care that sonal protective equipment (PPE), such as can be reached at paul@rpcholdings.com.
hood of having to make difficult decisions are especially vulnerable to the threats pre- masks, gloves and gowns, in times of dis- Erin MacLean, Freeman & MacLean, P.C., can
around the allocation of resources in vul- sented. Specifically, plans should consider connectedness from suppliers, along with be reached at emaclean@fandmpc.com.

10 July 2020 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News