OIG conducts emergency preparedness inspections
As winter weather begins to move into Texas, this is an excellent time for long-term care facilities to review and update emergency response plans for the health and safety of residents. Emergency preparedness is vital for the ongoing health and safety of care facility residents during local incidents, like power outages, or widespread natural disasters like the 2021 winter storms, which saw millions of Texans lose access to water, heat and power for multiple days.
As part of their Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) contract, long-term care facilities are required to:
- Have an up-to-date emergency preparedness plan that meets their client’s needs.
- Ensure all employees are aware of their responsibilities during an emergency.
- Work with their local emergency management coordinator during an emergency.
The requirements apply to assisted living, nursing and intermediate care facilities, hospices, and group homes. Preparing for a disaster includes planning for evacuation, transportation, communication, staff responsibilities and continuing resident care and treatment.
To help ensure residents’ health and safety, the OIG conducted inspections of the emergency preparedness plans and procedures of four long-term care facilities, Mystic Park Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Focused Care at Westwood, Villa Toscana at Cypress Woods and Oak Park Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, to determine whether they were in compliance with applicable laws, rules and guidelines.
The Mystic Park Nursing and Rehabilitation Center complied with 19 of the 23 state and federal emergency preparedness requirements selected as part of the inspection. Inspectors noted the facility had updated plans and training for staff and had developed procedures to maintain power via alternative energy in the event power to the facility was lost. The four requirements Mystic Park failed to meet were:
- Document initial employee training on emergency preparedness.
- Ensure its emergency preparedness plan identified how alternate energy sources should be used to maintain the power needs of key systems.
- Maintain a printed copy of its current emergency preparedness plan at each workstation assigned to a personnel supervisor who had responsibilities under the plan.
- Document the required contact information for the state licensing and certification agency in its communication plan.
The Focused Care at Westwood inspection showed the facility complied with 22 of the 23 state and federal emergency preparedness requirements selected as part of the inspection. Inspectors determined the facility had maintained necessary preparedness equipment, conducted training in a timely manner and maintained proper documentation on the results of preparedness exercises. The facility did not maintain the required contact information in the communication plan for reaching the state licensing and certification agency, Texas Health and Human Services or the Texas HHS Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman.
The Villa Toscana at Cypress Woods inspection and the Oak Park Nursing & Rehabilitation Center inspection showed both facilities were in compliance with all 23 state and federal emergency preparedness requirements selected as part of the inspection. Inspectors noted the facility had trained staff in communication, policies and procedures, emergency preparedness, training and testing and emergency and standby power systems. No recommendations for program updates were made by inspectors.