Nursing Home Evacuations

Countless images of hurricane evacuations are branded in people`s minds, emergencies compounded by chaotic evacuations. "The trauma of having to evacuate is as much as the trauma of actually being involved in a storm itself and the things that come from that, the less change the better," commented Linda McWaters, Administrator for The Glen Retirement System. In the past, nursing homes were required to have evacuation plans, but those were not regulated by the state. In addition to plan approval, the Department of Health and Hospitals will also create a database of where patients will go to ensure there will be sufficient space and order changes. "So many hands in the pot so to speak and some times it`s just a matter of having it right on the paper, and not so much that your plan is correct but maybe the paper doesn`t quite spell it out as much as it should so it does have to go back and forth for a while," admitted McWaters. The Glen Retirement System in Shreveport has already submitted its plan and is awaiting approval. After last year`s destructive hurricanes, state officials believe everyone needs to be more proactive, no matter what the emergency. "It has to do more with making sure that evacuation plans as far as transportation and things like that are really nailed down so they are certain they will have the buses that they need." Having what they need, to help soften the blow of what they have lost. Although the new rules do not go into effect until April 1, the state Department of Health and Hospitals adopted emergency rules that apply to the current hurricane season.