Preparing for the Worst: HR's Role

HR can be the make-or-break factor in a hospital's disaster preparedness plan. One emergency management professional explains how.

As Hurricane Sandy made its way north along the eastern seaboard in October 2012, one Long Island hospital's police force urgently made last-minute preparations for the coming storm.

Naturally, everyone was feeling a bit edgy, but after years of training alongside both hospital leadership and local law enforcement, the team was ready.

It's a good thing it was, says Larry Zacarese, JD, MPA, CHSP, CHCM, EMT-P, assistant chief of police and director of emergency management at Stony Brook Medicine, a 603-bed facility with over 6,000 employees.

"It was everything you wouldn't want to deal with in a 48-hour period," he says. During the worst of the super storm's onslaught, Stony Brook Medicine's campus, which also houses Stony Brook University, experienced a major network outage. Internet, cable, and phones went dead for 30 hours.

Adding insult to injury, an instrumental part of the hospital's power grid failed during the storm, leaving the entire campus, including the hospital, in the dark for 37 minutes.

But hospital leadership's preparation, its strong relationship with local law enforcement, and the involvement of HR and administrative workers, the hospital was able to get the lights back on, keep the hospital staffed, and be there for the patients.

Whether a disaster is in the form of a hurricane, an earthquake, a terrorist attack, a snowstorm, or something else, hospitals need to be prepared. Here are Zacarese's top tips regarding what HR can do to help get the entire hospital on track.

1. Organize Trainings

The most important thing HR can do to establish readiness is training workers for the worst before it happens, says Zacarese. "You should be doing tabletops and post mortems after incidents."

And don't be shy about advocating for increased funding for hospital safety and disaster preparedness initiatives.

Safety and security are often among most important things to be funded that don't get proper funding, says Zacarese.

"It might be costly, but it's well worth the investment. As an attorney, I can tell you that it can pay dividends in front of a jury."

2. Remember: Workers are People

In the midst of a disaster even the most dedicated healthcare workers are going to have concerns beyond what's happening in the hospital. To maintain proper staffing levels and keep workers focused on their jobs in the middle of a crisis, employers should meet them halfway.

In some situations, this might mean giving employees lodging close to the hospital or providing transportation.

When asking workers to be on duty during a snowstorm, consider offering to pay for a hotel room near the hospital, meals, and a safe ride to and from the hospital. Not only will this boost attendance, but it will also minimize concerns about commuter safety.

In other situations, workers will have concerns around the safety of their families, especially children and the elderly. One solution is to create a temporary family area for watching TV and reading books.

3. Reach Out to Local Law Enforcement

Don't wait until the crisis strikes, Zacarese advises. The time to reach out to local law enforcement and emergency services is now.

"There should be a relationship between the organizations," says Zacarese. "The hospital CEO should never should be meeting the local police chief for first time when something bad happens… they should be on each other's speed dials."

It's key to remember that disaster preparedness is something that never ends; it's a continuous process. But that's something most HR professionals will find to be second nature. "HR knows this is something to take seriously," says Zacarese.