Disaster and Emergency Readiness for Health Centers: Training Materials and Resources
Thanks to the participation and input from community health center (CHC) members of California Primary Care Association’s (CPCA) Emergency Management Peer Network, the association has completed two projects to support CHCs in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from certain emergency/disaster incidents.
Video Series on Patient De-escalation Techniques
Thanks to volunteers and donated space from San Ysidro Health and Health Center Partners of Southern California, and in partnership with Westward Disaster Consultancy, LLC, four short training videos on patient de-escalation techniques for a variety of scenarios were developed.
The goal of these videos is to provide CHCs with training tools that are easy to implement, relevant to scenarios that staff see in their day-to-day operations, and respectful of patient vulnerability and communication barriers. Demonstrating techniques from the Safewards “Talk Down” Model and the “10 Domains of De-Escalation,” the videos are meant to help health center staff recognize the signs of a potentially violent scenario and implement steps to mitigate possible impacts. Each video has a series of discussion questions at the end which are designed to be used during a training session or staff meeting.
The videos are accessible below:
Scenario 1 - An Unhoused Patient Expressing Agitation
Scenario 2 - Conflict with Patient on the Phone
Scenario 3 - Conflicts Among Staff Members
Scenario 4 - Agitated Patient in the Waiting Room
Case Study Assessing the Impact of Public Safety Power Shutoff Events on Community Health Centers (CHCs)
Over the past decade, utility companies in California began using “de-energization” as a strategy to address increasing wildfire risk; since then, CHCs have struggled to advocate for themselves as a priority for energy restoration or resources during these Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events. CPCA commissioned the creation of a Case Study Report to examine the magnitude of PSPS impacts on CHCs and their communities, as well as to identify recommendations for further investment and advocacy.
In partnership with Westward Disaster Consultancy, LLC, and with participation from ChapCare, San Ysidro Health, Northeast Valley Health Corporation, Unicare Community Health Center, and Shingletown Medical Center, virtual interviews were conducted with volunteer CHC facilities regarding the impacts of PSPS events on their operations. The consultant team combined data from the interviews and from a comprehensive literature review from PSPS-related studies and previous California Public Utilities Commission Impact Reports to produce a report outlining impacts as well as possible strategies to help CHCs become more power resilient.
The report identifies a number of challenges for CHCs organized into five main themes: Training & Education, Supplies & Equipment, Alerts & Notifications, PSPS Event Response, and Advocacy. Many of the impacts of PSPS events on CHCs can be attributed to one of three key findings:
There is a general lack of understanding on the part of utility providers regarding the critical role that CHCs serve in their communities.
Acquiring resources and building processes to lessen the impact of a PSPS event can be particularly costly, both financially and in terms of staff labor, which can make them cost-prohibitive for smaller facilities without larger healthcare networks to leverage.
In part because of a lack of formal training resources regarding PSPS for CHCs and healthcare, resources offered by utility providers during PSPS events (e.g., community resource centers, community engagement teams, electricity-dependent equipment, etc.) are not well-known or well-utilized by CHC staff.
CHCs will continue to need help from their regional networks, their healthcare coalitions, CPCA, and local public health and emergency management partners in addressing these challenge areas and building further resiliency. The report concludes with a series of recommendations for CHCs, healthcare coalitions, utility providers, and CPCA to move forward and build power resiliency overall in the coming years.