What People are Saying About PREPARE...

Anita Schacher

Clatsop Care Center Health District

I very much appreciate the ‘universality’of the program and the research that has gone into preparing a program that shares with participants experiences of disaster, lessons learned, and practical applications.  The educational component is also critical as all good things either begin with education or end for the lack of it. The provision of a formal educational program allows us to educate and prepare staff to respond to a disaster/emergency at our facilities and also in their own homes. The nature of the program and its requirements also keep disaster awareness and disaster planning always on the front burner.

Cascade Manor is a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in Eugene, OR.

PREPARE opened my eyes to the need for planning and training and kicked off a domino effect that turned into awareness and partnerships with organizations throughout the area.

The classroom exercises made me think about things I had never imagined and prompted me to make calls…the need for transportation, working with local public health officials, and more. When I began to make calls about services, it became obvious that no one in our community was prepared to handle disasters for older adult facilities. I also learned that local officials had no idea about the need for a coordinated effort!

I went to the city with an idea for a coordinated effort, which prompted me to write a successful grant proposal.  Now, our facility will soon get a CERT emergency cache on our property.

PREPARE is responsible for our facility’s representation on a very important city organization and development of a working relationship with officials at all levels of public safety.

Peter Marquardt

Recreation/Emergency Preparedness Coordinator

The Hallmark is a retirement residence in Chicago.

"I came out of the two-day workshop and thought, Wow, we have so much to think about.  Going into it, I didn't expect it to be so thorough. It made us realize how much there is to do.

Because of PREPARE, we put together two large trunks of emergency supplies. We're working on water supply, clothing, etc. We've even got ID bracelets and whistles for everyone. We didn't think to do those things before.  We're also going to do something soon with St. Joseph's (Hospital), most likely a mock pandemic flu outbreak simulation.

We want to get the procedures down, and the residents are really on board. They are happy to know that we're prepared if something happens."

Lin Miller

Director of Resident Services

Hamilton County Hospital, located in Syracuse, Kansas, was looking to revise and update its disaster plan and position itself to better respond to emergencies. In November 2006, two representatives from Hamilton attended a PREPARE workshop in Wichita.

“When a tornado touched down 20 miles away in late March 2007, alarms sounded in Syracuse. It was a hectic time, but calm staff members cared for our long-term care residents. In a debriefing after the emergency, they were asked to think about why residents didn't experience high levels of stress through it all.

The answer? We discussed the psychological impact of these events in the PREPARE workshop, and staff kept the information in mind. Our immediate, coordinated response to this incident was successful because of additional training and enforcing our regular drills.

Although I have been involved with disaster planning on various levels for many years, I found PREPARE to be one of the best for introducing the concepts of disaster management to those who have had minimal exposure to the subject. Thank you for your assistance as we work toward making life safer and more enjoyable for residents.”

 

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Disaster preparedness