Emergency Response Operations

COVID-19 and RSV#

See HCAI Covid-19 and RSV EOC Resource page

Operations Map#

The map shows the current or the last area of focus of HCAI’s Emergency Operation Center (EOC). The layers available on this map are:

• HCAI jurisdiction Health Care Facilities (HCF).
• Earthquake shakemaps and corresponding epicenters.
• Fire Boundaries with active MODIS and VIIRS IBAND Detection
  clouding.
• Earthquake Faults.
• National Weather Service Wind Speed and Smoke forecasts.

Some of the layers contain information obtained from USGS, National Weather Services and third-party sources and any questions on the information in these layers should be directed to those sources.

The map can be configured to:

• Zoom in or out to show different areas.
• Activate and deactivated layers.
• Use different base maps.
• Measure areas and distances.

Activation of Emergency Operation Center #

The HCAI Emergency Response Plan and the HCAI Emergency Operation Center (EOC) are activated by the HCAI Director or other authorized staff in concert with California Department of Public Health (CDPH), Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) and Office of Emergency Services (OES) when a significant disaster occurs. In such an event, HCAI is mandated to respond as follows:

• Provide emergency structural, critical nonstructural and fire
  and life safety assessment of Acute Care Hospitals and Skilled Nursing
  Facilities.
• Ensure rapid inspection postings of facilities in HCAI
  jurisdiction in a disaster area.
• Provide information on HCAI’s emergency assessment status of
  Facilities to CDPH, EMSA, OES and others as necessary.
• Arrange priority review, approval and permitting of hospital
  repair and reconstruction of those affected facilities for a limited time
  period following an earthquake. Upon activation, HCAI′s Emergency
  Operations Center (EOC) will be set up in HCAI’s Sacramento or Los Angeles
  offices in accordance with the Standardized Emergency Management System to
  manage and coordinate the emergency response.  A Forward Staging Area may be established.
  Priorities for inspection will be established by HCAI in cooperation with
  CDPH, EMSA, OES and the affected facilities.  Direct requests for safety assessment of
  structures may be sent to the EOC through the main Facilities Development
  number, (916) 440 8300.

Emergency Response Policies #

The HCAI Emergency Response Plan is based on the following emergency response policies:

• HCAI is tasked in the California State Emergency Plan to provide assistance in two emergency response areas; the Medical and Health Services Function and the Construction and Engineering Function. OSHPD′s priority will be to assist EMSA with implementation of the Medical and Health Function response. Assistance to the Construction and Engineering Function will be secondary and provided only if personnel and resources are available.
• HCAI’s primary directive is to maintain occupancy for hospitals and skilled nursing facilities as long it is safe to do so. Consideration will be given to potential damage in aftershocks after an earthquake.
• HCAI response teams will not interfere with local efforts to keep a Health Care Facilities (HCF) open and providing service to the community as long as there is no threat to health, such as ventilation, sanitary facilities, etc. and life safety at the site.  It is HCAI′s intent to allow HCF′s to provide services to the public under emergency conditions without interference.
• HCAI will identify only hazards related to structural, critical nonstructural or fire and life safety building damage.  Other inspections such as for licensing and health-related issues, such as staffing, supplies, etc., may result in closure of a hospital or skilled nursing facility regardless of HCAI’s assessment.  HCAI personnel will conduct initial damage assessments. If necessary, HCAI will request mutual aid through CDPH, EMSA or OES to obtain additional technical assistance.
• Severely damaged Health Care Facilities (HCF) may be posted and evacuated before HCAI officials arrive.  This action could be taken by local response officials, local structural engineers or HCF officials.  HCAI will encourage local officials and HCF facilities personnel to use the ATC-20-2 methodology for immediate on-site assessments.  HCAI response teams will re-inspect HCF’s which have been posted by others.
• HCAI damage inspection reports are not intended for use by local jurisdictions, hospitals or other parties for the purpose of obtaining disaster relief funds from the State or Federal government.
• HCAI will not participate in emergency repair decisions by Health Care Facilities (HCF) officials.  For a specified and limited time period following an earthquake, unobserved repair of HCF′s will be allowed by HCAI. (The time period will be determined by the severity of the earthquake and dictated by the length of the emergency period.)  Review, approval and permitting of HCF′s repair and reconstruction projects will be given priority by HCAI for a specified and limited time period following an earthquake.