NW Ohio Persons with Functional Needs in a Red Cross Shelter

Model

May, 17, 2012

This presentation is arranged by Cheryl Hill under contract to Hospital Council of NW Ohio with funding support from the U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, via the Ohio Department of Health, Catalog

of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number 93.889.

NW Ohio Persons with Functional Needs in a Red Cross Shelter

Model

Welcome and Introductions

NW OHIO FUNCTIONAL NEEDS IN A RED CROSS SHELTER MODEL EXERCISE

AGENDA

4:30-5:00 PM Participant Registration, Welcome and Introductions

5:00-5:30 PM Command Module and Role Play 5:30-6:15 PM Triage Module and Role Play6:15-6:30 PM Break 6:30-7:30 PM Case Management/Disaster Health Services

Module and Role Play7:30-8:00 PM Hot Wash and Participant Evaluations

Other

History

• Lessons from Hurricane Katrina (shelter experience) persons with functional needs were isolated, most vulnerable and were assisted last.

• 35 of 60 residents in St. Rita’ s Nursing Home died due to not being evacuated.

The Challenge

• 2008 U.S. Census estimates indicate that 15.1, of the US population ages 5 years and over are disabled.

• Ohio’s population is 11,485,910, that means 1,772,886 are disabled. (transient number)

• In an emergency, the number of first responders available to assist everyone will be limited

History

• Traditionally the American Red Cross was not prepared to accommodate those with functional needs. Many of these clients that showed up at a shelter door got sent to the hospital, which in many cases was not necessary.

• During disaster the hospital is there to help those who are injured or need medical attention.

History

• The Katrina experience demonstrated that communities needed to do a better job of assisting it’s most vulnerable population during disaster.

• 1) Utilize a partnership between the American Red Cross and Medical Reserve Corps to assist them in accommodating persons with Functional Needs in a shelter setting

History

“Complying with the Americans withDisabilities Act is not optional”

FEMA Administrator, Craig Fugate to the NationalVoluntary Agencies Active in Disasters Conference May 2010

Language from New Access Power Point

Legal Obligation:

History Stafford ActSection 403. Essential Assistance (42 U.S.C. 5170b)

• (a) Federal agencies may on the direction of the President, provide assistance essential to meeting immediate threats to life and property resulting from a major disaster such for-

• (2) Medicine, durable medical equipment, food, and other consumables

• - Distributing or rendering through State and local governments,, and relief and disaster assistance organizations medicine, durable medical equipment, food, and other consumable supplies, and other services and assistance to disaster survivors.

History Access and Functional Needs

The term "access and functional needs" means those actions, services, accommodations, and programmatic, architectural, and communication modifications that a covered entity must undertake or provide to afford individuals with disabilities a full and equal opportunity to use and enjoy programs, services, activities, goods, facilities, privileges, advantages,and accommodations in the most integrated setting, in light of the exigent circumstances of the emergency and the legal obligation to undertake advance planning and prepare to meet the disability-related needs of individuals who have disabilities as defined by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, P.L. 110-325, and those associated with them.

History

• Further addressing the needs of at risk populations is an Overarching ASPR Sub-capability

• The Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response out of the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services sets disaster planning capability goals/standards for hospitals.

• Most importantly it’s the right thing to do.

Functional Needs “Definition” The National Response Framework

Definition“Populations whose members may have additional needs before, during, and after an incident in functional areas, including but not limited to: maintaining independence, communication, transportation, supervision, and medical care.Individuals in need of additional response assistance may include those who have disabilities; who live in institutionalized settings; who are elderly; who are children; who are from diverse cultures; who have limited English proficiency or are non-English speaking; or who are transportation disadvantaged.”

Functional Needs “Definition”

• There isn’t one. Anyone at any time can have a functional need.

• The basic model is to have the MRC assist the American Red Cross in performing case management assessments on those with functional needs. If the person can reside in the shelter with minimal accommodations, the MRC assists in utilizing community resources to obtain the accommodation for the client. If not the client gets linked to a community resource that can provide the care the client needs.

Disasters Create the Need for Sheltering Displaced Victims