Small but mighty. In the face of an impending natural disaster, you need a great plan, an electronic patient record and community cooperation.
Englewood Community Hospital, a small, acute-care facility in the Gulf Coast area of South Florida


OBJECTIVE
Hurricane Georges forced the staff and administrators of Englewood Community Hospital to evacuate patients and provide emergency care for the community.


METHODS
A comprehensive disaster plan.


RESULTS
Englewood staff discovered they were well-prepared for patient evacuation in times of threatening natural disasters. The MEDITECH clinical data repository allowed no disruption in access to the patients' history or current clinical profile. KEY TO SUCCESS: "Englewood Community Hospital's comprehensive, well thought-out disaster plan covered critical issues such as staffing, reimbursement, documentation, and most importantly, continuity of care during the move to another hospital."
McGinty
J
J
D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D004189:Disaster Planning; D004190:Disasters; D005431:Florida; D006751:Hospital Information Systems; D006764:Hospitals, Community / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized / Q000592:standards*; D019982:Organizational Case Studies