M2: Disaster Management Plan

Karen V. Jenkins

ATSU-SHM

In creating a disaster management plan there are many factors that need to be incorporated in the plan. The plan should consist of a series of documents, tasks, teams, training, exercises, and drills according to the mission statement. With all these things in mind as a health care planner I would prepare a set of plans for different potential disasters. I would group disasters into bioterrorism, infectious disease, food and drug contamination, and financial disaster to name a few categories. From these categories I would start to make plans. In getting started to begin the planning process it is important to establish a policy and understand the organization structure. In doing this an emergency preparedness policy statement must be written as well as a defined organizational structure with a clearly defined chain of command established. These steps will make it easier in keeping track of what needs to be achieved and in assessing who has what responsibilities. Some of these documents will overlap in the collaboration of different organizations. Yet, I feel that the difference will be in who will have the controlling factor depending upon the disaster response in the chain of command. This assessment will take place in the planning process by identifying hazards, risks, and assets of the plan. This allows for the most competent health professionals to take control if a set of disasters occur. Competency must demonstrate the use of new information and knowledge to create change (Rowitz, 2005). In having different documents for each response there is a high possibility that when a disaster occurs that there will be more than one response needed. For instance, in the case of bioterrorism this can include a number of responses depending upon the threat. Let’s look at an