Code of Maryland Regulations
Title 10 - MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Part 1
Subtitle 07 - HOSPITALS
Chapter 10.07.02 - Nursing Homes
Section 10.07.02.40 - Emergency and Disaster Plan
Universal Citation: MD Code Reg 10.07.02.40
Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 19, September 20, 2024
A. Emergency and Disaster Plan.
(1) The licensee
shall develop an emergency and disaster plan that includes procedures that
shall be followed before, during, and after an emergency or disaster,
including:
(a) Evacuation, transportation, or
shelter in place of residents;
(b)
Notification of families and staff regarding the action that will be taken
concerning the safety and well-being of the residents;
(c) Staff coverage, organization, and
assignment of responsibilities for ongoing shelter in place or evacuation,
including identification of staff members available to report to work or remain
for extended periods; and
(d) The
continuity of services, including:
(i)
Operations, planning, and financial and logistical arrangements;
(ii) Procuring essential goods, equipment,
and services to sustain operations for at least 72 hours;
(iii) Relocation to alternate facilities or
other locations; and
(iv)
Reasonable efforts to continue care.
(2) The licensee shall have a tracking system
to locate and identify residents in the event of displacement due to an
emergency or disaster that includes at a minimum the:
(a) Resident's name;
(b) Time that the resident was sent to the
initial alternative facility or location; and
(c) Name of the initial alternative facility
or location where the resident was sent.
(3) When the nursing home relocates
residents, the nursing home shall send a medical fact sheet and any medically
related information with each resident that includes at a minimum the
resident's:
(a) Name;
(b) Medical condition or diagnosis;
(c) Medications;
(d) Allergies;
(e) Special diets or dietary
restrictions;
(f) Family or legal
representative contact information; and
(g) Advance directives, living will, or a
copy of the resident's Maryland's Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment
(MOLST) form.
(4) The
brief medical fact sheet for each resident described in §A(3) of this
regulation shall be:
(a) Updated upon the
occurrence of any change of information on the medical fact sheet;
(b) Reviewed at least monthly; and
(c) Maintained in a written, electronic, or
printed form in a central location readily accessible and available to
accompany residents in case of an emergency evacuation.
(5) The licensee shall review the emergency
and disaster plan at least annually and update the plan as necessary.
(6) The licensee shall:
(a) Identify a facility, facilities,
alternate location, or alternate locations that have agreed to house the
licensee's residents during an emergency evacuation; and
(b) Document an agreement with each facility
or location.
(7) The
licensee shall:
(a) Identify a source or
sources of transportation that have agreed to safely transport residents during
an emergency evacuation; and
(b)
Document an agreement with each transportation source.
(8) Upon request, a licensee shall provide a
copy of the facility's emergency and disaster plan to the local emergency
management organization for the purposes of coordinating local emergency
planning. The licensee shall provide the emergency and disaster plan in a
format that is mutually agreeable to the local emergency management
organization.
(9) The licensee
shall identify an emergency and disaster planning liaison for the facility and
shall provide the liaison's contact information to the local emergency
management organization.
(10) The
licensee shall prepare an executive summary of its evacuation procedures to
provide to a resident, family member, or legal representative upon request. The
summary shall, at a minimum:
(a) List means of
potential transportation to be used in the event of evacuation;
(b) List potential alternative facilities or
locations to be used in the event of evacuation;
(c) Describe means of communication with
family members and legal representatives;
(d) Describe the role and responsibilities of
the resident, family member, or legal representative in the event of an
emergency situation; and
(e) Notify
families that the information provided may change depending upon the nature or
scope of the emergency or disaster.
(11) Maryland Health Alert Network.
(a) A nursing home shall register with the
Maryland Health Alert Network.
(b)
A nursing home shall register at least four representatives, including the
administrator and the director of nursing.
(c) Following any changes in the initial
registration of the four representatives, a nursing home shall update the
information within 5 business days of the change.
(12) The licensee shall:
(a) Identify an emergency and disaster
planning liaison for the nursing home; and
(b) Provide the liaison's contact information
to the local emergency management organization.
(13) The licensee shall prepare an executive
summary of the nursing home's evacuation procedures to provide to a resident,
family member, or resident's representative upon request. The summary shall, at
a minimum:
(a) List potential means of
transportation to be used in the event of evacuation;
(b) List potential alternative facilities or
locations to be used in the event of evacuation;
(c) Describe means of communication with
family members and resident's representatives;
(d) Describe the role and responsibilities of
the resident, family member, or resident's representative in the event of an
emergency situation; and
(e) Notify
families that the information provided may change depending on the nature or
scope of the emergency or disaster.
B. Evacuation Plans. The facility shall conspicuously post individual floor plans with designated evacuation routes on each floor.
C. Orientation and Drills.
(1) The licensee shall:
(a) Orient staff to the emergency and
disaster plan and to their individual responsibilities in relation to the plan
within 24 hours of the commencement of job duties;
(b) Document completion of the orientation in
the staff member's personnel file through the signature of the employee;
and
(c) Within 24 hours of
admission, notify and direct residents to the nursing home's emergency plans
and maps, including evacuation procedures.
(2) Fire Drills.
(a) The licensee shall conduct fire drills at
least quarterly on all shifts.
(b)
The licensee shall:
(i) Document completion of
each drill;
(ii) Have all staff who
participated in the drill sign the document; and
(iii) Maintain the documentation on file for
a minimum of 2 years.
(3) Semiannual Emergency and Disaster Drill.
(a) The licensee shall conduct a semiannual
emergency and disaster drill on all shifts during which the facility practices
evacuating residents or sheltering in place so that each is practiced at least
one time a year.
(b) The drills may
be conducted via a table-top exercise if the licensee can demonstrate that
moving residents will be harmful to the residents.
(c) Documentation. The licensee shall:
(i) Document completion of each drill or
training session;
(ii) Have all
staff who participated in the drill or training sign the document;
(iii) Document any opportunities for
improvement as identified as a result of the drill; and
(iv) Keep the documentation on file for a
minimum of 2 years.
(4) The licensee shall cooperate with the
local emergency management agency in emergency planning, training, and drills
and in the event of an actual emergency.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Maryland may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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