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 Press Center
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2008
 		 CONTACT: Kristen Knapp, APR
(850) 224-3907 or kknapp@fhca.org
 

NEWS

 

Long Term Care Leaders Host
National Evacuation Transportation Summit in Tampa

State and federal partners in health care, transportation and emergency management to discuss challenges and develop recommendations for nursing homes and assisted living facilities

Tallahassee, FL - The Florida Health Care Association (FHCA) will host a National Evacuation Transportation Summit on Tuesday, December 9, at the Marriott Tampa Airport from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Summit will bring together state and federal partners in long term care, transportation and emergency management to examine the availability of and access to transportation resources for long term care providers during emergency situations. The event is just the second of its kinds to be held nationally. It is sponsored by the John A. Hartford Foundation and hosted in partnership with the American Health Care Association.

Almost 40 individuals representing nursing home and assisted living facility owners, national and state long term care association executives, state and federal oversight agencies, executives from the motor coach industry and emergency management personnel will take part in the Summit. Organizers hope to develop short- and long-term objectives for strengthening a regional approach to addressing evacuation transportation issues for long term care providers. Recommendations for local, state and national policymakers and planners will also be developed.

Key organizations to be represented at the Summit include:

  • U.S. Health & Human Services - Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness & Response
  • Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
  • U.S. Health & Human Services - Office of Inspector General
  • U.S. Government Accountability Office
  • National Transportation & Safety Board
  • Agency for Health Care Administration
  • Florida Department of Health - Office of Emergency Operations
  • Georgia Division of Public Health - Office of Preparedness
  • South Carolina Department of Health
  • United Motorcoach Association
  • American Bus Association
  • Florida Power & Light
  • American Health Care Association and state executives from AL, CA, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TX
  • The John A. Hartford Foundation
Transportation for the evacuation of nursing home residents and accompanying staff is a resource-intensive undertaking. Many residents cannot travel on a standard bus or van due to their impairments, therefore ambulances and vehicles with wheelchair lifts are almost always needed. Summit delegates will discuss the challenges that long term care providers, and the residents and staff they serve, face when evacuation transportation is required. Discussions will surround access to transportation and coordination efforts at the local, state and federal levels, with a goal of developing recommendations to help ensure safe transport of frail elders during a large-scale mass evacuation.

"Transportation evacuation assets continue to be the Achilles' heel for long term care providers," said Deborah Franklin, Chair of the Florida Health Care Association. "Our goal with this Summit is to ensure that long term care facilities are included in local, state and federal transportation contracts and planning so the safety of vulnerable elders and persons with disabilities is not at risk when a mass evacuation is required."

The National Evacuation Transportation Summit is another proactive effort toward disaster preparedness taken on by the Florida Health Care Association (FHCA). This event, along with several disaster-related tools, are made available to the long term care community throughout the year thanks to grant funding from the John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF) to the Association's 501(c)(3) organization, the Florida Health Care Education & Development Foundation. Additional resources funded by the JAHF include the Emergency Management Guide for Nursing Homes, the National Criteria on Evacuation Decision Making and the Nursing Home Incident Command System. More information about these and other resources on disaster preparedness, response and recovery can be found on the emergency preparedness section of FHCA's Web site at www.fhca.org/emerprep/index.php.

ABOUT THE FLORIDA HEALTH CARE ASSOCIATION
The Florida Health Care Association (FHCA) is a federation of nearly 1,000 members and over 500 long term care facilities providing skilled nursing care, short-term rehab, assisted living and other services to frail elderly and individuals with developmental disabilities in Florida. FHCA was founded on the premise that its members have a moral obligation to the residents they serve, and since 1954 the Association has worked diligently to improve quality of care and quality of life for the state’s growing elder population. For more information about the Florida Health Care Association, visit www.fhca.org.

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