The Emory Preparedness and Emergency Response Research Center (Emory PERRC), with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, partnered with the Florida Health Care Association, Florida Department of Health Bureau of Preparedness and Response, West Virginia Healthcare Association, and the West Virginia Center for Threat Preparedness to develop an emergency preparedness resource website in each state for long term care (LTC) facilities.
Led by Sarah Blake, PhD, MA in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health, the websites for Florida (www.ltcprepare.org) and West Virginia (www.911wv.org) are designed as gateways to tools, resources, and information on emergency preparedness topics specifically for LTC facilities, including skilled nursing and post-acute care centers.
"Historically, seniors and residents of long term care facilities are among the most vulnerable populations during emergencies and large-scale disasters," explains Blake. Our mission was to be proactive in the development of an online tool that provides direct and timely access to information for LTC providers to plan, respond, and recover from an emergency facing their patients and facilities. We are very proud of this work, and we are hopeful these resources will support the emergency preparedness planning efforts of the long term care communities in both states.
The emergency preparedness web sites were developed in close collaboration with Emory’s long-term care and emergency preparedness partners in Florida and West Virginia and were tailored to the specific resource needs of each state. They are also designed to keep those who care for older residents informed about national and state disasters and relief opportunities.
"We are pleased to be a partner with Emory on this outstanding project, which has produced such a valuable resource, not only for long term care centers, but also for public health and emergency management planners and responders." Emmett Reed, FHCA executive director.