Hurricane Ian Reminds Us: You Can’t Afford Not to Have a Disaster Plan

With Hurricane Ian battering Florida and promising to wreak more havoc as it moves north and west for days to come, urgent care centers and other healthcare services are struggling to stay open. Ascension St. Vincent’s urgent care, primary care, and specialty clinics will be closed through at least Friday. Tampa General Hospital has closed some ambulatory care locations while canceling elective surgeries for a few days. Others are sure to follow suit as the Department of Health and Human Services has declared a public health emergency in Florida. While urgent care operators are surely doing their best to continue providing care for area residents while also supporting their own employees who are affected by the storm, it’s likely that those who anticipated such catastrophes and planned accordingly will have a better chance of a quick recovery. Does your team know who to call, and what their responsibilities are when hurricanes shut down power grids, or wildfires force widespread evacuations? Do you have a plan at all? If not, you’re doing yourself and your patients a disservice. JUCM published an article that will be indispensable in helping you prepare for disaster. If you’re in an area of the country where there are no current threats, it’s not too late to plan for one. Read Developing an Emergency Preparedness Plan for Urgent Care in our archive.