Disaster Shelf

Effective emergency preparedness tasks a healthcare organization to develop a process to determine the length of time it can remain in sustain mission critical services by supplying the necessary services, protection, and nourishment to its staff, patients, and visitors. An essential part of being prepared includes an assessment of the current disaster inventory. 

 

Determining the period of time that an organization can sustain itself requires a process that is based on reasonable assumptions, an inventory of resources and assets, and a method of monitoring the status of the inventory. The Joint Commission® (TJC) stresses sustainability in their Emergency Management standards by requiring that an organization “identifies its capabilities and establish response efforts when the hospital cannot be supported by the local community for at least 96 hours in the six critical areas”.

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Few organizations have the capacity to stockpile a sufficient level of resources and assets to remain at a level of full operation for a period of 96-hours (4 days)

 

An organization needs to establish a process to manage its emergency inventory, however there is no requirement for centralization of the inventory. The inventory must be itemized. 

 

The emergency inventory includes, but is not limited to, personal protective equipment, water, fuel, and medical, surgical and medication related resources and assets.  A healthcare organization should conduct an annual inventory review to determine if all items assessed are available for use during an emergency.  The inventory and annual review must be documented. 

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Disaster Shelf provides a platform for all healthcare organizations to support the requirements of an emergency inventory. The platform allows individual hospitals or an entire healthcare system to document, track, and maintain their disaster resources.