Long Term Care Providers Get Ready for Winter Storm Emergencies

 

LSMNJ was host to a quarterly meeting of the Burlington County Long Term Care (LTC) Planning Group on December 10th. The meeting focused on emergency response planning for winter storms. Participants included LTC leadership, facility directors, and of course emergency management personnel from various county and state offices.

Utilizing a hypothetical winter storm watch situation, Wayne Comegno, deputy coordinator for the Burlington County Office of Emergency Management, led attendees—representing Lutheran Crossings Enhanced Living, Masonic Home, Medford Leas, Sterling, Care One and other Burlington County LTC facilities—through a Table Top Exercise. A main goal of the exercise was to test existing emergency response plans and determine if a plan that “looks good on paper” works well in reality. Discussion and input resulted in confirming the potential effectiveness of some plans as well as identifying revisions, additions, and need for further detail and planning.  Partnering and sharing of resources among LTC facilities was emphasized as an asset during times of emergency response to ensure the safety, comfort, and well being of residents and patients in long term care.