For most healthcare organizations located in the mid-west, tornados are one of our greatest vulnerabilities.

Tornado watches and warnings come often and because we are so accustomed to hearing these announcements, many of us become apathetic to responding in an effective manner to the threat.

Apathy creates mistakes. In the healthcare setting, a mistake may create injuries or loss of life. Below are a few tips to engage your staff in embracing the importance of tornado preparedness and their specific duties to react/respond to the event. read more

It’s that time of year again, when the temperatures drop and snow begins to fall. That means it’s time to make a winter weather plan.

As you know, our patients depend on us in both the pre-hospital and hospital settings. We are often faced with extreme cold and heavy snowfall. But the truth is illness and injury do not cease in bad weather. Because our community and patients depend on us, it is important that we as healthcare providers develop a personal winter weather plan to optimize our ability to arrive to our work locations safely. read more

For many years hospitals have used emergency code terms to announce emergencies within the hospital and within the community that may affect the hospital. Currently, there are no regulatory standards for these codes so many hospitals make up their own. They are confusing, and ambiguous. The use of plain language is obvious and transparent to all. Transparency in a crisis situation is paramount for effective emergency notification and the safety of our staff, patients and visitors.