Reports - Mississippi Renewal

130 |HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESMoreover, the demands on human serviceswill grow at unpredictable rates.How does Mississippi address thecurrent need, plan for future disasters,and lay the foundations for a premierhealth and human services system?Disaster PlanningThe Commission recommends thatfuture disaster planning be coordinatedbetween all health and human servicesproviders, state and federal agencies, includingfirst responders, using a unifiedcommunication system. The HHS DisasterRecovery Director, as suggestedbelow, should create a written planwhich would set out the responsibilitiesof the various providers and agenciesbefore, during and after a disaster. Theplan should include the following:■ A Health and Human ServicesDisaster Director. The director,who would serve in the Office of theGovernor, would facilitate the developmentand execution of the planand would be responsible for effectivecommunication between providersand governmental agencies immediatelybefore, during and after a disaster.The director would be responsiblefor coordination of evacuation decisionsaffecting health and human-serviceproviders and their patients; coordinationof patient transfers beforeand after disasters; facilitating communicationsbetween providers andgovernmental agencies; stockpiling,delivering and ensuring the securityof mission-critical supplies such asdiesel fuel, gasoline, food, water, drugs,and tetanus shots to providers; coordinatingvolunteers; ensuring the availabilityof backup morgues; planningfor on-site security to health care providerswhere medications, food, andwater are held for patients to preventBesides thecrucial servicesit provides, thehealth andhuman servicessector:■ represents 12 percentof the state’s economy■ employs more than110,000 people, 7.6percent of the state’swork force (2001)Source:Doeksen, Gerald A.The Business of Caring: the EconomicImpact of Mississippi’s Hospital’son the State’s Economy, 2004.disruptions to patient care; and servingas a clearinghouse for facility assessments.■ A Unified Communications System.This would connect all healthcare providers, state and local agencies,the law enforcement community andfirst responders.■ Uniform Protocols for PatientTransfers. The protocol would identifythe types of patients to be transferred,the locations for the transfers,and the assistance available to facilitatethe transfer. The protocol would assistproviders, including mental health facilities,in ensuring patients are transferredto a facility that can best meettheir needs and in returning those patientsto the originating facility at theappropriate time.■ Uniform Facility Assessments. Toavoid duplication of multiple federaland state post disaster assessments, regulationsshould be changed to mandatethat the HHS Disaster Director,working with the Department ofHealth, conduct one all-inclusive survey.The survey would be conductedas needed and be made available to allstate and federal agencies on a timelybasis.■ Coordination of Mental HealthNetwork. There should be a singlesource network that coordinates accessto mental health providers that iscurrent and permanently maintained.The Director should ensure the networkis maintained and includes informationfrom the private, public,state facilities and clinics, independentpractitioners, and volunteer organizationsthat provide mental health careservices. This coordination will haveresponsibility for rapid and efficientmobilization of providers in times ofdisaster, ensuring that patients have