Memo from Nick Desien to Ministry Health Care Leadership (SSL Group)

MINISTRY H EALTH C ARE MEMORANDUM

TO: Ministry Health Care Leadership

FROM: Denny Thomas Director Risk Management and Disaster Preparedness

DATE: January 27, 2011

SUBJECT: Ministry Standardizes Emergency Alerts for all Facilities - Effective March 15

A new set of emergency alerts has been developed for use within Ministry Health Care facilities and will be officially launched in all facilities on March 15, 2011.

The alerts address all key emergency situations, including fire alarms, severe weather, security alerts, first responder, and mass casualty. Prior to this new system, each Ministry Health Care facility had its own set of alerts and all were different.

As Ministry Health Care hospitals work more closely together, we have recognized the need for a single set of alerts that employees can use across the system.

A series of communication and education efforts, including an updated emergency alert CBT is now available, to inform and train all Ministry Health Care employees about the new alerts. Using a single system of alerts will help increase patient safety and security, as all employees will now be using the same guidelines no matter which of the Ministry facilities they may be working in.

An updated emergency alert policy is being drafted for approval and implementation as part of this project. Additionally, please update any departmental policies that reference Emergency Alert to the new clear text alerts.

How will this impact the Ministry system-wide new standard ID badge implementation process? ID badges for new employees will reflect the updated emergency alerts. For current employees who have already received a new standard ID badge, HR will be re-printing the updated badge and sending it to your leader. For employees who are waiting to receive a new ID badge, your leader will be notified when it is time for your department to get re-badged. The move to have all hospitals standardize alerts was initiated by the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA). The rationale allows emergency code uniformity, enabling many individuals at multiple facilities to respond consistently to emergencies, which ultimately enhances safety for patients, visitors and staff.

Here are a few reasons for seeking uniformity:

 Many organizations share personnel. Having a consistent code system reduces the amount of information an employee must learn or re-learn and lessens the opportunity for confusion during emergent or disaster events.

 Communication among hospitals and other agencies in a specific geographic region during an emergency can be enhanced when there is common language.

 Communication during statewide, regional, or local disasters such as weapons of mass destruction (WMD) events will also be enhanced.

 The myriad of different systems using numbers, alpha codes, and color codes create confusion, and increase the likelihood of miscommunication and potential for serious negative outcomes to patient care.

Although Ministry is executing this plan on March 15, the WHA recommends that all Wisconsin hospitals implement the standardized alerts by January 1, 2012.

Please watch for more information as we near the March 15 implementation date.

Thank you.

CC: Ministry Health Care Clear Text Workgroup Team:  Steve G. Schwenke, Ministry Door County Memorial Hospital  Carol Meyer, Ministry Our Lady of Victory Hospital  Thomas Grice, Ministry Saint Clare’s Hospital  Michael Neely, Ministry Saint Michael’s Hospital  Gary Krueger, Ministry Saint Joseph's Hospital  Denny Thomas, Ministry Saint Joseph's Hospital  Doug Duchac, Ministry Sacred Heart -Saint Mary’s Hospitals  Karen Wiedeman, Ministry Sacred Heart -Saint Mary’s Hospitals  Judi Nelson, Howard Young Medical Center/Ministry Eagle River Memorial Hospital  Jeffrey Freese, Howard Young Medical Center/Eagle River Memorial Hospital