The Florida Health Care Association (FHCA) has introduced a new hurricane preparedness webpage to aid residents, families, and emergency partners in understanding long-term care emergency preparedness. This initiative aims to provide detailed insights into the year-round efforts of FHCA’s member centers regarding preparation, response, and recovery during hurricane season.
“For our association and its members, emergency preparation is a year-round priority,” stated FHCA CEO Emmett Reed. “This hurricane preparedness webpage is designed to help the public understand our members’ commitment to readiness and response when it comes to keeping their residents and staff safe during severe weather, and to keeping families informed about their loved ones. By working together and planning ahead, we’re helping to protect some of our state’s most vulnerable citizens when it matters most.”
Ensuring quality care for Florida’s seniors involves prioritizing their safety during hurricanes and other natural disasters. The FHCA member centers have developed a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP), which includes stringent protocols for hurricane preparedness aimed at safeguarding residents before, during, and after storms.
The newly launched webpage provides crucial information on training and emergency plans, evacuation procedures, generator preparation, a five-day storm readiness timeline, as well as communication strategies with families and stakeholders during emergencies. It also addresses transfer trauma and the importance of trauma-informed care due to the vulnerability of residents in long-term care settings.
Furthermore, FHCA is organizing three regional emergency preparedness roundtables involving long-term care leaders, state agencies, community partners, and county emergency managers. These discussions will focus on lessons learned from the 2024 season, improving processes for evacuations and sheltering-in-place, and enhancing collaboration among providers, regulators, and emergency management.
