For worst-case scenarios, a script
A $2.5m effort lays local disaster plans
Picture this: A sudden outbreak of flu in January fills local hospitals with sick residents. Then a winter storm sets in. Flooding forces several hospitals and nursing homes to be evacuated. But if the facilities in neighboring towns are booked - then what?
A new regional partnership is being formed to address such emergency situations. Public health officials from around the region will attend a kick-off meeting tomorrow in Norwood to standardize emergency response in the event of a disaster - whether it be a flood, earthquake, pandemic flu, or bioterrorist attack.
The multi-agency effort is being coordinated by the Boston University School of Public Health in an effort to improve what is seen as an ineffective patchwork process.
"We have a tradition in Massachusetts of thinking that each city and town should be responsible for its own health care and public health services," said Harold Cox, associate dean of public health practice at the school.
"The modern-day threat of terrorism and the challenges of possible epidemics or weather-related emergencies require us to break out of that mold and work toward better integration of services," he continued in a statement.
Area communities participating include Braintree, Canton, Cohasset, Dedham, Hanover, Hingham, Hull, Milton, Norwell, Norwood, Quincy, Scituate, Sharon, Walpole, Westwood, and Weymouth. Also involved are Caritas Norwood Hospital in Norwood, Milton Hospital, Quincy Medical Center, and South Shore Hospital in South Weymouth.
The 11-month project, funded by a $2.5 million federal grant to the BU School of Public Health, will bring together representatives from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, hospitals, clinics, ambulance companies, municipal health departments, nursing homes, and Medical Reserve Corps volunteers from 62 cities and towns in the Boston area. This new regional collaboration will be known as the Partnership for Effective Emergency Response, or PEER.
The $2.5 million grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services will allow personnel to try out the latest communications software, enhance existing mutual aid agreements, and establish clear-cut procedures for sharing information during a public health crisis.
"In a localized emergency that might require patients to be evacuated from hospitals or nursing homes, for example, we need to know quickly which other facilities in the area have the capacity to accept and care for them," said Cox.
An emergency response drill involving all the PEER participants is scheduled to be held next summer. By then, emergency management officials hope to have created a set of tools and templates that can be used by other communities all over the country.
"It's very exciting," said Mark Dutra, director of safety and security for Quincy Medical Center. "An amazing amount of effort is put into emergency preparedness, which the public never really sees. It all happens behind the scenes."
The PEER initiative will also guide healthcare facilities into compliance with the National Incident Management System, or NIMS, which is the federal government's blueprint for coordinating federal, state, and local resources during an emergency. If each organization is compliant with NIMS, "we're all working from the same playbook," said Dutra.
Michael Flanagan, the emergency preparedness manager for Caritas Norwood Hospital, says that medical organizations are searching for the best way to communicate with multiple organizations at once, in real time.
Local hospitals already meet every month to review and coordinate emergency plans. They also play out scenarios on regular basis. For example, in October, South Shore Hospital and other local agencies conducted a drill to practice their response to a pandemic flu outbreak. They set up a practice treatment unit at Weymouth High School.
Flanagan said he's excited about the PEER project's broader approach, which involves public health officials, community health clinics, ambulance companies, and long-term care facilities from all over the region, and putting the best practices down in writing.
"We were each kind of on an island," said Flanagan. "This is going to take it to the next level."
Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com. 