Abstract
This book chapter discusses the design and implementation of an emergency preparedness training program for a large contingency of home health agencies, hospice organizations, and long-term care facilities throughout the majority of the State of Maine. Through funding from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems partnered with the Northeastern Maine Regional Resource Center to create the Continuum of Care Operational Preparedness and Emergency Response (CCOPER) Planning Initiative.
Over a 2-year period, the CCOPER Planning Initiative resulted in the development of tailored emergency operation plan templates and a 7-month training and education program throughout a nine-county region for staff of area service providers of seniors and physically challenged clients. This chapter provides an outline of the CCOPER project as well as key lessons gleaned from participant surveys and feedback. Ultimately, both staff members and participants learned that there are still great strides needed in the planning efforts and training of care providers in order to meet the emergency preparedness needs of seniors and other physically vulnerable individuals; and that the specific needs and planning measures of facilities vary greatly depending on size, location, and other variables.
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Notes
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CDC’s Disaster Planning Goal: Protect Vulnerable Older Adults. 2007, pp. 1–17.
- 2.
White House. The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned, Available at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/reports/katrina-lessons-learned/ Feb. 2006.
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AARP Public Policy Institute. We Can Do Better: Lessons Learned for Protecting Older Persons in Disasters, Available at: http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/il/better.pdf May 2006.
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U.S. Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. 2010 Census Shows Nation’s Population is Aging. U.S. Census Bureau News. Washington, D.C. Available at: http://2010.census.gov/news/releases/operations/cb11-cn147.html May 26, 2011.
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U.S. Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. Maine QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. Washington, D.C. Available at: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/23000.html Sept. 18, 2012.
- 6.
The CCOPER project was managed under the direction of Lisa Harvey-McPherson, EMHS VP of Continuum of Care, and carried to fruition by key staff members: Allison Bankston, Project Manager; Shannon Flavin, Project Planner; and Charlie Wolf, Coordinator. Further assistance was provided by Kathy Knight, Director, Northeastern Maine Regional Resource Center; Charity Toothaker, Administrative Assistant; and Lorin LeCleire (deceased), Coordinator. The project received the full backing and support of United States Senator Susan Collins(R) of Maine.
Acknowledgments
Eastern Maine Healthcare would like to extend special thanks to the Maine Emergency Management Agency, Maine County Emergency Management Agency Offices, local responders, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Pine Tree Chapter/American Red Cross, and the University of New England. Each assisted in the planning and trainings for the CCOPER project. Thanks also to former CCOPER Project Planner Shannon Flavin, former CCOPER Project Coordinators Charles Wolf and Lorin LeCleire (dec.), and former CCOPER Administrative Assistant Charity Toothaker, as well as Kathy Knight, RN, BSN and Roxanne Landers of the Northeastern Maine Regional Resource Center, which is funded by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The UNE-MGEC would like to acknowledge Kathy Knight, RN, BSN, CHEC Director of the Northeastern Maine Regional Resource Center at Eastern Maine Medical Center and the EMHS Center for Emergency Preparedness who provided UNE-MGEC trainings and collaborated with the UNE-MGEC to present a webinar as part of the 2013 Stanford University Emergency Preparedness Webinar Series. In addition, the UNE-MGEC would like to acknowledge key members of the EMHS Continuum of Care Operational Preparedness & Emergency Response (CCOPER Grant) including Lisa Harvey-McPherson, RN, MBA, MPPM EMHS Vice President Continuum of Care & Chief Advocacy Officer and Allison H. Bankston, Former Project Manager and Kathy Knight who all graciously invited the UNE-MGEC to participate in the CCOPER Steering Committee, project activities and together explored and operationalized many opportunities for collaboration/leverage provided by both the (CDC) CCOPER Grant and the (HRSA) UNE-MGEC grant funded programs to provide trainings to Maine’s health professionals and others involved in emergency preparedness in Maine.
This project was funded by the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Harvey-McPherson, L., Bankston, A., Metcalf, J.A., Thayer, L. (2014). The CCOPER Project-Continuum of Care Operational Preparedness and Emergency Response. In: Cefalu, C. (eds) Disaster Preparedness for Seniors. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0665-9_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0665-9_13
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