Reports from Florida that in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma residents at a long-term care facility passed away due to the lack of air conditioning.
The following federal regulation was effective in November of last year:
“The LTC facility must develop and implement emergency preparedness policies and procedures, based on the emergency plan set forth in paragraph (a) of this section, risk assessment at paragraph (a)(1) of this section, and the communication plan at paragraph (c) of this section. The policies and procedures must be reviewed and updated at least annually.
At a minimum, the policies and procedures must address the following: (1) The provision of subsistence needs for staff and residents, whether they evacuate or shelter in place, include, but are not limited to the following: (i) Food, water, medical, and pharmaceutical supplies. (ii) Alternate sources of energy to maintain— (A) Temperatures to protect resident health and safety and for the safe and sanitary storage of provisions; (B) Emergency lighting; (C) Fire detection, extinguishing, and alarm systems; and (D) Sewage and waste disposal.” 42 C.F. R. Section 483.73
The issue is whether a policy and procedure is enough or does the LTC facility have an action plan with back-up generators or some other method to generate energy. Here in Nebraska we have temperature extremes at both at ends of the scale. It might be prudent to check on this issue before deciding on a LTC facility.
