By Dan Hounsell

The 2022 hurricane season is more than two months away, but based on the forecast, institutional and commercial facilities along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are in for a bumpy ride. Then there is the threat of wildfires, which are plaguing the Florida panhandle and have become a nearly year-round issue in California. 

Combine these threats with recent tornadoes in Iowa that brought destruction to a strong of communities, and it becomes clear that ramping up emergency preparedness and increasing facility resilience should never be far from the minds of healthcare facility managers. The Joint Commission has even made emergency preparedness a national security priority because these events are becoming more frequent in the United States. 

Managers looking to increase their organizations’ resilience can look at two key areas – documentation and infrastructure – to achieve this goal, and managers in assisted living facilities need to take the unique needs of their residents into consideration when developing plans. 

Finally, managers looking for guidance in their resilience and emergency preparedness efforts can review the CMS Emergency Preparedness Final Rule, which is an invaluable tool. 

Dan Hounsell is senior editor for the facilities market. He has more than 25 years of experience covering engineering, maintenance, and grounds management issues in institutional and commercial facilities.