With a massive snow storm, health systems’ plans go beyond the hospital

With the biggest winter storm to hit some areas in years, health systems must plan to make sure hospitals are equipped for the worst, since closing isn’t an option.

But the planning also involves coordinating with local and state emergency management teams, weighing supplies, and dealing with road closures and other transportation delays. The National Weather Service projects cities in the Northeast could get one to two feet of snow, and the massive weather system is likely to affect most Americans east of the Rocky Mountains.

Meghan Treber, chief preparedness officer of the University of Maryland Medical System, has been working to coordinate readiness across the organization. The health system operates 11 hospitals across Maryland, and forecasts call for a foot or more of snow in some areas Saturday night into Monday morning.

Some of the system’s hospitals serve areas of several counties where they are the only facility providing acute care, she says.

“Hospitals never close, even in extreme weather,” Treber tells Chief Healthcare Executive®. “So our job as healthcare emergency managers is to anticipate those disruptions and then put layers of protection in place so patients can continue to receive safe care, and our staff can remain safe delivering that care.”

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It’s plenty of work to staff and supply those hospitals, but the health system operates scores of other facilities. The system’s service area includes the city of Baltimore, surrounding suburbs and rural communities.

“We have an urgent care network. Our hospitals include two trauma centers. We have outpatient surgical centers and more than 340 care locations across the state,” she says. “Our entire health system is vast and serves quite a large swath of the state, all of which is going to experience the storm in a slightly different way.”

Ensuring staffing

Treber says planning for the storm began several days ago. The system began planning early to ensure hospitals had enough doctors, nurses and other staff, since the storm could affect travel into Monday.

“We plan early to ensure that we have adequate staffing for multiple days, not just for the storm itself, and that looks like coordinating so essential staff can arrive early and stay on site if needed. We provide sleeping arrangements where it's possible, and meals on site,” Treber says.

The health system also has booked rooms at local hotels within walking distance of its facilities for staff who won’t be able to get home.

Treber says plans also go beyond staff who drive to work. Plans include the possibility of public transportation services being suspended due to the weather.

If the snow total reaches forecasts, “I would absolutely expect that there will be some impact to public transportation, whether it's a full shutdown or a restriction of lines,” Treber says.

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Planning for patients

The system’s hospitals began looking at which patients could go home before the storm.

“What we are trying to do is make sure that we are reviewing all of the patients that we have in our hospital and identifying the patients who can be safely discharged to home before the storm hits, because it will be very challenging to get people discharged during the storm,” she says.

The patient evaluations go beyond whether or not the patients have recovered enough to leave the hospital.

“Our case managers have to make sure that the roads are plowed, that the sidewalks are shoveled, the driveway shovel, the stairs are shoveled, and that we can get our patients back safely into their homes,” she says.

For those still in the hospital late Saturday, Treber says, “They're going to stay with us until we can safely get them home.”

Planning all year

The University of Maryland Medical System just opened a new, 400,000-square-foot logistics center to manage and distribute medical supplies for the entire organization. The logistics center opened in November, and the storm will be the first test of it. But Treber says it should improve the system’s readiness and resilience for emergencies.

The system has ordered enough medication, supplies and food for several days in case there are interruptions.

Since the logistics center supplies the entire hospital, Treber has also been talking with county officials to make sure road crews are plowing the road to the facility. County officials quickly assured her that they would clear the road to the logistic center and the roads to the hospitals.

But Treber says that also underscores the importance of regular contact with local and state officials throughout the year.

“It's a testament to the preparedness stance that we work with these people every day,” she says. “We plan with our local health departments. We plan with our emergency managers.”

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