Anchoring the Regional Safety Net -- $25 million

Emergency Response Planning

When severe thunderstorms struck the St. Louis region, thousands of businesses, residences, hospitals and long-term care facilities lost power. While hospitals functioned on generators, emergency plans at long-term care facilities called for the evacuation of residents to hospitals -- with no prior planning, transportation arrangements or contingencies.

Residents essentially arrived at hospitals without notice, medical information or staff to provide ongoing care. The fateful summer storm put that plan to a test and revealed glaring inadequacies that also stressed the ability of hospitals to respond to acute care needs in the face of so many custodial care residents.

In response, emergency preparedness planners from BJC HealthCare took a lead role on the long-term care emergency network. The community-wide task force worked with local long-term care facilities to assess preparedness, develop a list of planning needs and provide resources, training and connections to the right agencies and community resources.

Thanks to the efforts by the network, most long-term care facilities in the bi-state have arrangements in place today that enable them to shelter in place, evacuate to alternate sites, access community resources and even become a community resource to assist with special needs individuals who might not be appropriate for shelters.

In the event of a local or regional disaster, BJC professionals are on the front lines to respond to the emergency and care for patients. BJC has been a leader in preparing its hospitals and staff to respond to potential natural disasters and biological, chemical or radiological events. BJC is an active participant in the St. Louis Area Regional Response System and takes a leadership role in helping prepare health care organizations with emergency response planning, and building partnerships at the local and state levels.

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