Emergency Preparedness – Before, During, and After the Storm
Mid-Cities Medical believes in the importance of patient education and emergency preparedness. It is important to understand where to get local resource assistance, emergency assistance, and what limits may be applied after an emergency event.
Before an emergency disaster or event occurs, it is important that Oxygen and Ventilator patients take advantage of local resources. In most areas, dialing 2-1-1 will get you in contact with local resource management. This is where patients and caregivers can get organization names and phone numbers to help with a wide range of issues, including food assistance, power restoration priority rates, emergency evacuation assistance, and much more. Be sure when calling 2-1-1 that you ask about community assistance for Veterans, Veteran Caregivers, and other programs.
Anytime there is a life-threatening event, dial 9-1-1. When you are in immediate danger or in need of emergency assistance, dialing 9-1-1 connects you with Emergency Management Services (EMS), Police, Fire, and Ambulance. It is important to remember, in the middle of some major emergency events, these EMS teams can be taxed beyond acceptable limits, be given “stop work” safety orders, or they themselves be trapped by the event. While we always plan for their assistance being available, in a widespread nature event these services may not always be able to help until long after the storm or event has passed.
Event assistance before, during, and after an event. Because Mid-Cities Medical is not part of the local EMS response team, we are required to follow the directions of those in charge of the event. This means that if no one is being allowed into an area because it has not been deemed “safe,” we cannot ignore local authorities and proceed anyway. Patients that choose to stay during a hurricane, flood, or other event should be prepared to live independently for three days to several weeks without power or support. Once your area is cleared for non-EMS support, medical staff and others are allowed back into the area to deliver oxygen and provide service.
To safely help everyone involved in your care, prepare before the storm with local resources and call Mid-Cities Medical for oxygen back-up, down equipment, and service needs. After the storm when EMS releases the area, contact Mid-Cities Medical for assistance.
