Summary: <p>Disaster Planning:<br> An Ethical Obligation<br> Instructor: Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes<br> Executive Director: AllCEUs Counselor Education<br> Podcast Host: Counselor Toolbox & Happiness Isn’t Brain Surgery</p> <p>This course is available on-demand here: <a href="https://www.allceus.com/member/cart/index/search?q=Risk+and+Disaster+Management">https://www.allceus.com/member/cart/index/search?q=Risk+and+Disaster+Management</a> or as part of our Recovery Residence Administrator Training Program <a href="https://www.allceus.com/member/cart/index/product/id/619/c/">https://www.allceus.com/member/cart/index/product/id/619/c/</a><br> Objectives<br> ~ Rationale and Process for Disaster Planning<br> ~ Preparing for Disaster<br> ~ Continuity Planning<br> ~ Management of Prescription Medications<br> ~ Testing the Plan<br> Rationale<br> ~ Disaster planning can save lives, minimize injury and emotional trauma, protect property and operational capability, and prevent or reduce interruptions in treatment.<br> ~ The behavioral health treatment program has a special obligation to prepare for disasters because it provides essential services.<br> ~ By their nature, disasters have an impact on behavioral health:<br> ~ Most people who experience a disaster, whether as a victim or responder, will have some type of psychological, physical, cognitive, and/or emotional response to the event. Most reactions are normal responses to severely abnormal circumstances. (American Medical Association, 2005, p. 2)</p> <p>Rationale<br> ~ Disaster planning can prepare the program for continuing to provide the services to its existing clientele in order to prevent:<br> ~ Relapse<br> ~ Medical and psychological consequences for prematurely discontinuing medically managed detox or crisis stabilization<br> ~ Homelessness if clients are in a residential facility<br> ~ Client destabilization due to lack of access to medications prescribed and/or administered by the agency (antipsychotic injections, prescription refills, methadone)<br> ~ Exacerbation of problems in at-risk populations as a result of lack of access to support<br> Rationale<br> ~ Disaster Planning can help mitigate psychological issues in the community by providing services to new clients (Katrina)<br> ~ Aid to other programs<br> ~ Rapid response to influx of clients from other agencies or areas</p> <p>Types of Disasters<br> ~ Your facility is incapacitated or destroyed (fire, building flood, sink hole) but other facilities remain open and clients are in their homes<br> ~ Your facility and others are incapacitated and clients are in shelters (Hurricane, blizzard, fires).<br> ~ Your facility is functional in the aftermath of a natural disaster in which your patients are in shelters. (City-wide flood).<br> ~ When the program must cease provision of nonessential services due to a sudden reduction in resources, infrastructure, or available personnel due to illness or diversion of resources.</p> <p>Health department can provide a copy of the local Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA)</p> <p>Continuity Planning<br> ~ Requires a program’s personnel to consider the threats that could adversely affect essential functions;<br> ~ Determine the personnel, vital information (e.g., patient medical records including prescription records), and other resources required to continue those essential functions;<br> ~ Develop plans for providing essential functions onsite or at alternate locations if needed<br> ~ Make advance arrangements for obtaining the resources necessary to support essential functions throughout the disaster and recovery phases<br> ~ Plan for the safety of all personnel during these periods.</p> <p>Planning cont…<br> ~ In its initial work, the disaster planning team conducts or gathers, from partner agencies in the community, a hazard identi</p>
