MOVING BEYOND PLANS FOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: ORGANIZATIONAL RESILIENCE IN RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITIES

Abstract

The devastating aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita brought to national attention the importance of emergency preparedness for long-term care facilities. Although most facilities have an emergency plan, these plans may not adequately capture their “organizational resilience,” or adaptive capacity to handle the unexpected. Adequate links to the community and sufficient facility resources are critical to a resilience approach. However, little research focuses on the preparedness of residential care facilities (RCFs). In addition, we do not know whether RCFs with certain characteristics (e.g., CCRC or chain membership) are more likely to have access to resources that foster resilience. Data come from the 2015 Ohio Biennial Survey of Long-Term Care (response rate=88%; N=576), which is the only statewide survey of the entire RCF population in Ohio. A survey module adapted questions from the 2014 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Emergency Preparedness checklist. We conduct a series of logistic regressions to examine facility characteristics of RCFs that are associated with different checklist items that measure organizational resilience. Being part of a CCRC was associated with a higher likelihood of having a backup generator (Odds ratio =3.90, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.86–8.18) holding other facility characteristics constant. RCFs that are part of a CCRC are also more likely to work with local police departments and hospitals to develop their plans. Chain membership was associated with a higher likelihood of having at least one day’s supply of bottled water (Odds ratio =1.74, 95% confidence interval [CI]= 1.03–2.94). We will discuss implications for policy.