Disaster Recovery and our Katrina Experience

1
Disaster Recoveryand ourKatrina Experience

• Chris Belmont
• Assistant Vice President
• Corporate Systems
• Ochsner Health Systems
• New Orleans, Louisiana

2
Ochsner Medical Center
3
Ochsner Health System(Pre K)

• Hospital 485 licensed beds
• Affiliations with 3 other hospitals
• 23,000 discharges annually
• 190 organ transplants
• Clinic 35 locations
• Clinic visits 1,125,171
• Graduate Medical Education, Research
• 7400 Employees (including 650 physicians)
• Annual Revenue 900 Million

4
Ochsner Health System(Post Katrina)

• Acquired 3 Tenet Facilities
• Moved to an Open Staff Model
• Only 1 clinic location permanently closed
• 9,000 Employees
• Annual Revenue 1.1 Billion
• ED wait times peaked at 4 hours

5
Hurricane Katrina
6
Hurricane Katrina
7
New Orleans, Louisiana
8
(No Transcript)
9
(No Transcript)
10
(No Transcript)
11
(No Transcript)
12
(No Transcript)
13
(No Transcript)
14
(No Transcript)
15
Regional Impact

• Loss of utilities
• Loss of transportation systems
• Communication Limitations
• Loss of immediate relief personnel
• Misinformation

• Loss of routine vendor support
• Loss of all but 3 N.O. hospitals
• Loss of corporate partners
• YoYo
• Mass Confusion

16
Involvement

• Remained open during post storms
• Transport services transparent to Ochsner
  patients
• Patient evacuations using whatever available

• Remote Operations quickly established
• Most staff on duty for 8 days
• Military partnerships
• All primary systems stayed up except A/C

17
Ochsner Emergency Preparedness Plan

• Team A essential personnel
• Each department has specific requirements for
  staffing
• Usually an overnight stay/sleeping assignments
• Family members, pets
• Disperse key personnel to remote sites
• Secure credentials to allow access to parish/city
• Team B first to return
• Stage resources to quickly return

18
Key Strategies(Well Defined Disaster Plan)

• Leadership Presence
• Essential Personnel
• Contact List
• Communications
• Email, satellite phones
• Daily Meetings
• Email Updates
• Basic Needs Planned
• Work / Rest Schedules

• Inventory
• Food, toiletries, sleeping arrangements
• Housing/Child Care/Pet Care

19
(No Transcript)
20
Key Strategies(Well Defined Disaster Plan)

• Information Systems
• EMR Worked
• Maintain email servers
• Backup, downtime, restore plans
• Utilities
• Generators/Fuel
• Well water
• Remote Operations
• Communications

• Backup Testing/Supplier /Customer Coverage Plan
• Marketing/Public Relations Plan (Corporate
  Clients)
• Disaster Team Building / Motivation
• Sense of humor
• Entertainment

21
Lessons Learned

• Safety / Disaster Planning
• More first responders on campus
• National guard 1st day
• Backup security contract
• Perimeter control including fencing, gates, razor
  wire
• Master keys
• Registration check points
• Media rumor management
• More mass casualty drills

• Personnel
• Supply list updated
• Employee phone line / message center needed
• Relaxed dress code
• Breakdown room
• Limit family / pets
• House Team B at remote site
• Post Disaster housing / transportation plan
  needed
• Focus on locating employees

22
Lessons Learned

• Partnerships Critical
• Backup Plan for Testing / Products
• Customer Backup Plan
• Vendor Relationships / Assistance
• Limit Access to facilities

• Communication Systems Pathway
• Email / satellite phones critical
• Beepers / Cell phones not always functional
• Multiple area codes
• YoYo Approach

23
Lessons Learned

• Business
• Insurance critical including business
  interruption
• Payroll plan needed
• Remote Operations
• Facility
• Helipad Sites Critical
• Central (not vertical) Evacuation Plan
• Remote Operations
• Mass Evacuation Plan (patients employees)

• Patient Movement
• Need spine boards, lights, hoist/basket for
  stairwell movement
• Evacuation by unit severity
• Relocation / Transfer agreements should be in
  place
• Automated discharge (evacuation) tracking
• Space Management
• All space commandeered

24
Things we did well

• The leaders of our organization led by example by
  performing whatever work was required
• Honest communication with employees about
  weather, expectations, storm damage, safety
• Newsletters, conference calls
• Reassure staff that experienced personal losses
• Team meetings to solve problems
• Entertainment provided by staff members musical
  instruments, line dancing, movies

25
Current Status

• Human Resources
• Loss of 1,800 / 7, 400 employees
• Lower skill/pay positions
• Competitive wages for common skills
• Housing and insurance continues to be a problem
• Programs to Help Employees
• Employee Relief Fund
• Grants
• Housing / Transportation
• Road Home Assistance
• Lost 70 physicians
• Significant shortage of physicians in the area
• Strong recruiting success lately

26
(No Transcript)
27
Current Status

• Volumes are 117 of 2005 (pre-storm)
• Clinic visits, hospital admissions, ancillary
  testing
• Outreach services continue to increase
• Additional hospital partnerships
• ED visits up 50 (loss of level I trauma)
• Uncompensated care increased
• Staffing Overall
• High turnover continues in waves
• Agency cost has skyrocketed

28
Challenges

• Balance Urgency with Opportunity
• Population continues to be dynamic
• Manage unrecognized fatigue
• Embrace the new normal
• Find and retain staff
• Crime and Political Environment
• The rest of the world has moved on

29
Questions?
30
THANK YOU

• Prepare - Survive - Recover

Chris Belmont cbelmont_at_ochsner.org 504-842-7878
Ochsner Health Systems New Orleans, Louisiana
31

32

33