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Development of an Evacuation Tool to Facilitate Disaster Preparedness: Use in a Planned Evacuation to Support a Hospital Move

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 January 2017

Ranna A. Rozenfeld*
Affiliation:
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois Department of Pediatrics, Division of Critical Care Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
Sally L. Reynolds
Affiliation:
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois Department of Pediatrics, Division of Emergency Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
Sherri Ewing
Affiliation:
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Mary Margaret Crulcich
Affiliation:
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Michelle Stephenson
Affiliation:
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Ranna A. Rozenfeld, MD, Professor of Pediatrics and Medical Education, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Attending Physician, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Medical Director, Transport Team, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, 225 E. Chicago Avenue, Box 73, Chicago, IL 60611 (e-mail: rrozenfeld@northwestern.edu).

Abstract

Objectives

Our institution relocated to a new facility 3.5 miles from our original location in Chicago on June 9, 2012. We describe the tools we developed to prepare, execute, and manage our evacuation and relocation.

Methods

Tools developed for the planned evacuation included the following: level of acuity and team composition classification, patient departure checklist, evacuation handoff tool, and a patient tracking system within the electronic health record. Incident Command structure was utilized.

Results

Monthly census tracking exercises were held beginning 12 months before the evacuation. Simulation drills began 6 months before the evacuation. The entire evacuation took less than 14 hours and there were no safety issues. A total of 127 patients were transported to the new facility: 45 patients were moved via the Neonatal/Pediatric Critical Care Transport Team, and the rest were moved with various team configurations.

Conclusion

Documents developed for a planned evacuation can be used for any planned or unplanned evacuation. We believe the tools we used to prepare, execute, and manage our evacuation and relocation would assist any health care facility to be better prepared to safely and efficiently evacuate patients in the event of a disaster, or to create surge capacity, and relocate them to another facility. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:479–486)

Type
Concepts in Disaster Medicine
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2017 

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