Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-dnltx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T06:54:41.792Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Long-Term Care Planning, Preparedness, and Response Among Rural Long-Term Care Providers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 September 2020

Tiffany A. Radcliff ,
Jennifer A. Horney Open the ORCID record for Jennifer A. Horney [Opens in a new window] ,
Aram Dobalian ,
Blanca O. Macareno ,
Umar Y. Kabir ,
Cody Price  and
Colten J. Strickland
Tiffany A. Radcliff
Affiliation:
Department of Health Policy and Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
Jennifer A. Horney*
Affiliation:
Program in Epidemiology, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware
Aram Dobalian
Affiliation:
Division of Health Systems Management and Policy, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee
Blanca O. Macareno
Affiliation:
Department of Health Policy and Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
Umar Y. Kabir
Affiliation:
Division of Health Systems Management and Policy, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee
Cody Price
Affiliation:
Department of Health Policy and Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
Colten J. Strickland
Affiliation:
Program in Epidemiology, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Jennifer A. Horney, PhD, MPH, Professor and Founding Director, Epidemiology Program, University of Delaware, 100 Discovery Blvd, Room 731, Newark, DE (e-mail horney@udel.edu).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

Rural Long-term Care (LTC) providers face unique challenges when planning, preparing for, and responding to disasters. We sought to better understand challenges and identify best practices for LTC in rural areas.

Methods:

Case studies including key informant interviews and site visits were conducted with LTC staff and emergency planning, preparedness, and response partners in three rural communities. Themes were identified across sites using inductive coding.

Results:

Communication across disaster phases continues to be a challenge for LTC providers in rural communities for all disaster types. Communication challenges limit LTC providers’ ability to address patient needs during emergencies and limit the resilience of providers and patients to future disasters. Limited coordination among local leadership and LTC providers prevents dissemination of information, resources, and services, and slows response and recovery time. Including LTC providers as stakeholders in planning and exercises may improve communication and coordination.

Conclusion:

More than two decades into efforts to increase preparedness of health care systems to all hazards, rural LTC facilities still face challenges related to communication and coordination. Agencies at the federal, state, and local level should include input from rural LTC stakeholders to address gaps in communication and coordination and increase their disaster resilience.

Keywords

disaster preparednessrurallong-term carenursing homeaging
Type
Brief Report
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 16 , Issue 1 , February 2022 , pp. 12 - 15
Copyright
Copyright © 2020 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Edmund, JV. Rural aging in 21st century America. 1st ed. Glasgow, N, Berry, H, eds. New York: Springer; 2012.Google Scholar
Douthit, N, Kiv, S, Dwolatzky, T, Biswas, S. Exposing some important barriers to health care access in the rural USA. Public Health. 2015;129(6):611–620.10.1016/j.puhe.2015.04.001CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smalley, KB, Rainer, J. Rural mental health: Issues, policies, and best practices. New York: Springer; 2012.Google Scholar
Robinson, CA, Pesut, B, Bottorff, JL. Issues in rural palliative care: Views from the countryside. J Rural Health. 2010;26(1):78–84.10.1111/j.1748-0361.2009.00268.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Horton, G, Hanna, L, Kelly, B. Drought, drying and climate change: Emerging health issues for ageing Australians in rural areas. Australas J Ageing. 2010;29(1):2–7.10.1111/j.1741-6612.2010.00424.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Saenz, R, Peacock, W. Rural people, rural places: The hidden costs of Hurricane Katrina. Rural Realities. 2006;2(1):1–10.Google Scholar
Coppola, D. Introduction to international disaster management. Burlington, MA: Elsevier; 2007.Google Scholar
Tootle, D. Disaster recovery in rural communities: A case study of southwest Louisiana. South Rural Sociol. 2009;22(2):6–27.Google Scholar
Horney, JA, Nguyen, M, Cooper, J, et al. Accounting for vulnerable populations in rural hazard mitigation plans: results of a survey of emergency managers. J Emerg Management, 2013;11(3):205–211.Google Scholar
Davis, JR, Wilson, S, Brock-Martin, A, Glover, S, Svendsen, ER. The impact of disasters on populations with health and health care disparities. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2010;4(1):30–38. doi: 10.1017/S1935789300002391.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Edwards, JC, Kang, J, Silenas, R. Promoting regional disaster preparedness among rural hospitals. J Rural Health. 2008;24(3):321–325.10.1111/j.1748-0361.2008.00176.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schur, CL, Berk, ML, Mueller, CD. Perspectives of rural hospitals on bioterrorism preparedness planning. NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis; 2004:1–6 Google ScholarPubMed
Hyer, K, Brown, LM, Christensen, JJ, Thomas, KS. Weathering the storm: Challenges to nurses providing care to nursing home residents during hurricanes. Appl Nurs Res. 2009;22(4):9–14.10.1016/j.apnr.2008.11.001CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Laditka, SB, Laditka, JN, Xirasagar, S, Cornman, CB, Davis, CB, Richter, JV. Providing shelter to nursing home evacuees in disasters: Lessons from Hurricane Katrina. Am J Public Health. 2008;98(7):1288–1293.10.2105/AJPH.2006.107748CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jan, S, Lurie, N. Disaster resilience and people with functional needs. N Engl J Med. 2012;367(24):2272–2273.10.1056/NEJMp1213492CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Healthcare Finance News. Home health worker shortage fueled by low wages, demanding duties threatens patient care in numerous states. 2017. https://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/home-health-worker-shortage-fueled-low-wages-demanding-duties-threatens-patient-care-numerous. Accessed September 10, 2019.Google Scholar
Scale, K. Staffing in Long-Term Care Is a National Crisis. PHI Quality Care Through Quality Jobs: 2018. https://phinational.org/recruitment-retention-long-term-care-national-perspective/. Accessed September 10, 2019.Google Scholar
Harrington, C, Swan, JH. Nursing home staffing, turnover, and case mix. Med Care Res Rev. 2003;60(3):366–392. doi: 10.1177/1077558703254692.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. 2017-2022 Health care preparedness and response capabilities: 2016. https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/hpp/reports/Documents/2017-2022-healthcare-pr-capablities.pdf. Accessed September 10, 2019.Google Scholar
Corporation for National & Community Service, Hands-on Network. Participant materials managing spontaneous volunteers in times of disaster. https://www.nationalservice.gov/sites/default/files/resource/hon-cncs-msvtd_participant_materials.pdf. Accessed September 10, 2019.Google Scholar
U.S. Department of Agricuture. Rural-urban Continuum codes. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/rural-urban-continuum-codes.aspx. Accessed March 1, 2020.Google Scholar
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Emergency preparedness requirements for Medicare and Medicaid participating providers and suppliers final rule. Federal Register. 2016;81:180.Google Scholar
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Providers/ suppliers facilities impacted by the emergency preparedness rule. https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/SurveyCertEmergPrep/Downloads/17-Facility-Provider-Supplier-Types-Impacted.pdf. Accessed November 22, 2019.Google Scholar
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HHS emPOWER 3.0. https://empowermap.hhs.gov/. Accessed September 10, 2019.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Radcliff et al. supplementary material

Radcliff et al. supplementary material

Download Radcliff et al. supplementary material(File)
File 22.1 KB