June 6, 2005—Disaster planners should consider using nursing homes as a place where first responders can provide emergency medical treatment to victims, according to a new study from the nonprofit Research Triangle Institute (RTI).
Lucy Savitz, an RTI health services researcher, conducted the report for the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Savitz’s study also concludes that nursing homes can be used to store supplies like hazardous-material gear or provide temporary shelter for those who have been left homeless by a disaster.
In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, first responders in New York used nursing homes as triage centers, says Susan Feeney of the American Health Care Association. Feeney says that nursing home administrators should be included when drawing up emergency response plans. She agrees that nursing homes are ideal safe havens during an emergency, noting that nursing homes have trained nurses, potential empty beds, and medical supplies. Savitz’s study determined that while most nursing homes have plans for natural disasters, they lack plans for bioterrorism attacks or other disasters caused by humans.
For more information, visit the RTI Web site.
