Lessons Learned from 10 Years as a Hospital Emergency Manager

Health care preparedness starts with flexibility, but there’s so much more to it

Emergency management is always evolving, especially when it comes to preparedness, response, and recovery for a complex health care landscape like Pennsylvania’s.

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on 10 years of emergency response for the hospital community and the ways preparedness has changed. Personally, I am approaching my own change, as I embark on the next chapter of my career. I feel an immense gratitude for the past decade working in hospital emergency management for HAP and the lessons I’ve learned along the way.

As with any after-action report, it’s good to take the time to look back and evaluate. Here are six takeaways that I hope can support your work in health care emergency management.

1.  Preparedness is everything, but flexibility is key: SEMPER GUMBY!

In emergency management, preparation is important, but flexibility is equally essential.

There’s a saying from the Marine Corps—Semper Gumby—that means “Always Flexible.” And that’s how we must be.

In health care, we prepare for everything from natural disasters and pandemics to cyberattacks and infrastructure failures. These challenges are only getting more intense and complex.

Emergency preparedness plans are comprehensive, but no plan is foolproof.

Regularly update your emergency response procedures to account for ever-changing variables. Train staff not just to manage a crisis, but to adapt to changing conditions on the ground.  Flexibility in decision-making often determines how successful we are in navigating disasters.

2.  Building relationships is crucial

Health care emergency management relies on coordination between a range of stakeholders, hospital leadership, local and state governments, federal agencies, public health departments, community organizations, and so on.

Developing strong relationships across diverse groups supports your coordination. Trust and clear communication are paramount when coordinating resources and making time-sensitive decisions.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, these relationships became indispensable. Daily coordination calls with hospitals, health systems, public health officials, and health care coalitions helped manage resource shortages, distribute personal protective equipment (PPE), and implement surge capacity plans. The ability to draw on pre-established relationships with these stakeholders helped us move quickly and effectively.

3.  Communication is the cornerstone of effective emergency management

Effective communication is at the heart of everything we do.

It’s not enough to have a robust plan or to act quickly. Clear and consistent communication means the difference between confusion and cohesion during an emergency. Establishing communication channels and protocols ahead of time is critical to success.

4.  Mental health and wellness of staff cannot be overlooked

Emergency managers are often focused on addressing immediate threats to life and property, but mental health and wellness are essential to our work.

During prolonged emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the emotional toll on frontline workers can be overwhelming.

Fatigue, burnout, and stress can have lasting effects, not just on individual workers but on the overall capacity of the health care system to function during a crisis. A focus on mental health and wellness should be at the foundation of everything we do.

5.  Continuity of operations is core pursuit

Our patients are depending on us to always be there to care for them; ensuring continuity of operations is our guiding light.

Over the past decade, Pennsylvania hospitals have faced significant disruptions to their services, from IT failures to physical damage caused by natural disasters. Safeguarding not only the physical infrastructure but also the digital and operational components of health care is critical.

In recent years, The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) identified cyberattacks on hospital IT systems as an accelerating threat. We quickly realized that continuity planning had to include cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive data and ensure that critical functions such as patient care, billing, and communication could continue even if the main systems were compromised.

These types of events highlighted the interconnectedness of physical and digital infrastructure in modern health care settings. This work will only grow in the future.

6.  Emergency management is a team effort

Emergency management does not work in a silo.

It requires the efforts of a well-coordinated team, both within the hospital setting and across external agencies and partners. Working with a diverse team of professionals with different expertise ranging from medical personnel to IT specialists and community officials shows the power of collaboration and delegation. A strong team can help ensure a strong response when you need it most.

This work across HAP has been extraordinarily fulfilling, and I hope these lessons in flexibility and communication will support your work in preparedness. As emergencies become more complex and frequent, I know they will continue to guide my approach, and I hope they are helpful for you!

 

Author:  Jason Tomashunas, MS, CHEP, HAP Manager, Emergency Management

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