Emergency Preparedness

Kern Medical Emergency Operations Plan (EOP)

Arrangements are in place so that patients may be transferred to a facility that can provide adequate patient care. The Liaison Officer will be responsible for inter- facility communication between the hospital and the designated alternative care site, and for retaining records of which patients were transferred to and/or from an alternative care site. The patient care unit transferring the patient is responsible for obtaining copies of the patient’s medical records, gathering personal belongings and ensuring the patient’s medications are continued throughout the transfer. If any hospital equipment is transferred with the patient, the patient care unit is responsible for documenting what equipment was transferred with the patient so that the equipment may be retrieved during the recovery phase post emergency. The following arrangements and agreements are in place for transporting patients to alternate care sites: • Kern Medical owned vehicles are utilized. • Kern Medical is provided with transportation vehicles arranged by Kern County EMS. 3.7.4 Kern Medical has planned for transporting pertinent information, including essential clinical and medication related information, for patients to an alternative care site or sites when the environment cannot support care, treatment and services: When the environment cannot support care, treatment and services, and the HCC has ordered evacuation of the hospital to an alternate care site, it will be necessary to transfer equipment, medications, essential clinical and medication-related information, and supplies to the alternate care site. This shall be coordinated through the HCC in conjunction with Facility Services. See the section below regarding Alternate Care Sites. The transfer of these components is made utilizing transportation agreements and arrangements (indicated in 10 above) and all transferred equipment, and records are entered into a transfer log for record keeping. 3.7.5 Vulnerable Population • Kern Medical is an acute care hospital that delivers care from cradle to grave to all socioeconomic classes including pediatric, geriatric, disabled, and those that have serious chronic conditions or addictions. Kern Medical will adjust staffing and resources as needed to meet any specific need Kern Medical is also an active member in the Kern County Health Care Coalition. Through the

county EOC a plan has been developed that will assure that vulnerable populations are identified and cared for during an emergency. If the emergency were to dictate, the county EOC would open and begin implementation of the county wide plan. Transportation and alternate care sites (ACS) would be

coordinated through county EOC. The current ACS for our locality is Bakersfield City College located 2 miles north of the hospital on Mt Vernon Ave. 3.7.6 Personal hygiene and sanitary needs of patients during emergencies will be provided in terms of assurance of availability of water supply used for personal hygiene and sanitary water pumps/lift stations at the hospital are the hospital are connected to emergency power sources. There is a generous amount of hand sanitizer located throughout the hospital. If

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