Emergency Preparedness

EMERGENCY PLAN
During the intake visit, the Agency staff will complete a home inspection to evaluate the possibility of any safety hazards. This inspection will include electrical wiring and outlets, heating and air conditioning, plumbing, refrigeration, cooking facilities, and ventilation, medication and supply storage, smoke detectors, emergency exit, telephone services, cleanliness and accessibility. If changes are needed to make the home a safer place for treatment, a date for completion of changes will be discussed with you and agreed upon during that visit.

NON-EMERGENCY PROCEDURE
Hours of operation: Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM. For a non-emergency, the agency has a nurse “on-call” during unscheduled business hours, 5PM-9AM, Monday-Friday and 24 hours a day Saturday and Sunday. Your call will be directed to the on-call staff phone (903) 532-1400 who will provide a response to your call within 5 minutes. When speaking to the on-call staff please provide your name, and patient’s name, your telephone number, and address along with a brief description of what the problem or concern is. At that time the on-call staff will forward all messages to the RN on call who will respond to the client’s problem with a return phone call within a 30 minutes time period.

EMERGENCY PROCEDURE
If patient’s condition changes significantly or for medical emergencies such as chest pain, difficulty in breathing, paralysis, bleeding or falls, please call your physician, 911, or your appropriate emergency access for immediate attention. If you are on life support system and there is a power failure, use the backup battery supplied by your DME provider. The agency does not operate as an emergency service therefore valuable time may be lost contacting the agency. In case of a natural disasters, you should identify a safe room for your family. In the event of a natural disaster, the agency will prioritize visits. You may also call 211 which will connect you to assistance with information to local shelter or transportation.

HOME SAFETY TIPS
Prevention is the best approach to safety. The National Safety Council states that four million serious accidents happen in the home each year. Periodic room-by-room checks are recommended. Agency staff will assess the home and inform the patient/family on recommendations to increase safety.

General
• Do not overload electrical systems.
• Store syringes, contaminated equipment and supplies out of reach of children.
• Store poisons in childproof containers and out of reach of children.
• Post emergency telephone numbers near every telephone.
• Learn first aid and CPR.
• Vaccinate your pets.
• If your child is on a monitor, make sure the alarm can be heard from all parts of the house; be sure to observe other recommended safety precautions.
• Make sure an emergency escape plan that includes plans for evacuating
• any disabled persons.

Fire Prevention
• Check smoke alarms and make sure batteries are changed regularly and that the alarm is working.
• Keep a fire extinguisher handy and make sure that all family members know how to use it.
• Make sure any curtains near the stove or a furnace are firmly tied back and cannot come in contact with a burner or flame.
• Check appliances for frayed electrical cords. Unplug all appliances when
• they are not in use. Avoid using long extension cords.
• Do not wear long-sleeved or loose clothing that can come in contact with a burner or flame.

Prevention of Falls and Other Injuries
• Keep stairways and passages free of clutter.
• Don’t wear loose or long clothing that can cause tripping when standing on a ladder or step stool.
• Let the toaster cool and unplug it before reaching into it with a fork or other utensil.
• Avoid slippery scatter rugs. Use nonskid pad or backing. Wipe up spills promptly.
• Never run electrical cords under a rug.
• Store hazardous materials (including bleaches and cleaning products) in a safe place and away from food.
• Don’t use pesticides or other poisonous substances in areas where food is prepared.

Preventing Choking, Strangulation, or Suffocation
• Make sure crib slats are no more than 2 inches apart. Use bumper pads in your child’s crib.
• Do not tie anything (including a pacifier) around your infant’s neck.
• Remove your child’s bib at bedtime.
• Thread any monitor wires out through the lower end of your child’s clothing. Remove loose or small parts from toys.
• Avoid small, hard foods.
• Keep all small objects out of reach.
• Do not prop your child’s bottle against the side of a crib or pillow. Burp your infant well before putting the child into the crib.
• Keep drapery and blinds cords tied up high or cut short. Tie plastic bags in a knot and discard.
• Avoid latex balloons for children.
• Use a pacifier with one-piece construction and a loop handle. Know the emergency procedure for choking.

Preventing Burns
• Label flammable liquids and store them away from heat or sparks.
• Develop and practice a fire escape plan.
• Install smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors and check the batteries monthly.
• Keep a small fire extinguisher close at hand.
• Check the temperature of bath water carefully before placing your child in the water.
• Use flame retardant clothing, sheets, and blankets.
• Avoid holding your child while cooking or handling hot liquids.
• Keep pot handles turn in toward the back of the stove.
• Keep drinks and foods away from counter or table edges.
• Do not warm formula in a microwave–the bottle and the formula will be different temperatures.
• Avoid use of tablecloths with edges that hang off the table.
• Place a secure guard around fireplaces, radiators, and heaters.
• Avoid using a heating pad.
• Place safety caps in unused electrical outlets.
• Keep electric wires out of reach.
• Keep vaporizers out of your child’s reach.
• Limit sun exposure and use sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher whenever your child is outdoors.

Preventing Drowning
• Supervise your child closely when near any source of water, including buckets.
• Place fences around pools.
• Empty your tub or sink when not in use.
• Keep your bathroom door closed and lids down on toilets.

Car Safety
• Always use a federally approved car seat and make sure it is installed correctly.
• Never leave the child alone in a car.
• Keep car doors locked, both while you are driving and when you are away from your car.
• Avoid litter and loose objects inside your car.
• Do not place you infant in a carriage or stroller behind a parked car.

Taking Medicines
• Know each medicine’s name, how much you are to take, and what time of day the medication is to be taken.
• Tell your primary doctor about all the drugs you are taking (prescription
• and non-prescription).
• Do not take medications prescribed for someone else, even if you have the same symptoms.
• Check your medicine bottle labels carefully reading the label in a well-lit
• area to prevent taking the wrong medicine at the wrong time.
• Do not keep your medicines at your bedside because accidental overdoses can be caused when you are half-asleep and you take more medicine than is prescribed.
• Shake all liquids medicines before taking.
• Use a standard measuring spoon for measuring medicine.
• If medicines require refrigeration, do not freeze.
• Report any potential side effects of your medicine such as rash, headache, nausea, or diarrhea promptly to your nurse or physician.
• Check the expiration date and discard out-of-date drugs safely.
• If you see more than one doctor, tell each doctor about the drugs the other doctors have prescribed.
• Store medicines away from heat, moisture or direct sunlight
• (bathroom cabinets are usually NOT suitable because of the heat in the bathroom)
• Store medicines in childproof containers and out of reach children.

Poison Prevention
• Label all poisons.
• Keep all substances in their original containers.
• Store cleaning agents away from food and medications.
• Poison Control Phone#: 1-800-222-1222

Hazardous Waste Disposal
• Place all needles and syringes in a hard plastic or metal container with a screw top or re-enforce top with heavy duty tape.
• Place soiled bandages, disposable pads / sheets and medical gloves, masks and
• Gowns in securely fastened plastic bags before placing them in the garbage can with other trash.

Oxygen (O2) Safety / Medical Gases
• Store medical gas cylinders on their sides in a stable protected area (i.e. protected from heat extremes).
• Utilize O2 in an area free from open flames and cigarettes.

Bathroom Safety
• Make sure that electrical appliances (such as hair dryers, radios, shavers, heaters, etc.) are not placed where they can fall into the bathtub or come in contact with water.
• Install grab bars on the side of bathtub.
• Use a skid-resistant bath mat by the tub or shower.
• If the bathtub doesn’t have a skid resistant bottom use a suction-type mat in the tub.
• Have a special container for used razor blades and other sharp objects. Don’t
• toss them into the wastebasket.
• Don’t store medicines in the bathroom. Instead, keep them in a closet or another dry, cool place that can be locked.
• Leave a night light on in the bathroom and in dark hall ways.

Weather Precautions
• Go to closet or bathroom.
• Wrap in a blanket.
• Cover head with pillow.

Cold Weather
• Have available blankets.
• Wear layered clothes.
• Have hot food and drinks several times a day.
• Cover head-up to 20% of body heat can be lost through the scalp.

Hot Weather
• Wear loose cool clothing.
• Drink liquids several times a day.
• Use fans if air conditioning is not available.
• Avoid direct exposure to the sun.