Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and shifting climate patterns are impacting every aspect of our lives, including the delivery of healthcare. Climate change can lead to worsening air quality, adverse impacts on food and water supply and quality, and more frequent and extreme weather events, which can significantly impact human health causing increased illness and injuries – placing a growing burden on hospital emergency preparedness.
As the healthcare sector continues recovering from the financial burdens of COVID-19 and prepares for the upcoming respiratory virus season, the sector must also grapple with the increasingly unpredictable consequences of climate change. To best prepare, healthcare systems and public health departments should seek to develop or revise their Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP) to ensure they can function effectively in the face of severe weather and other emergency events that impact operations.
Climate Impacts on Human Health
The healthcare sector is bearing an increased burden of caring for people experiencing the health consequences of climate change.
- Air pollution produced by wildfires is associated with respiratory and cardiovascular illness;
- Extremely hot weather and heat waves can lead to heat stroke and exhaustion; and
- Floods, the most common natural disaster, cause injuries and drownings and spread waterborne disease.
Additionally, responding to a climate-driven disaster and the after affects, including long-term recovery, have significant impact on mental health – for those impacted and their caregivers. As a result, healthcare facilities around the area of impact, and surrounding communities, often experience increased demand and the need to surge capabilities to meet immediate care needs during a climate related emergency. To effectively meet these needs, healthcare organizations must prepare to have the resources, equipment, and space to care for and treat these conditions and patients.
Planning for Continuity Amidst Disaster
When disaster strikes, healthcare facilities themselves also often face disruptions to their operations in the form of power outages or flooding, which inhibit the delivery of high-quality patient care. For example, on September 29, 2023, six inches of rain fell in a matter of hours in Brooklyn, New York. As a result, NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull flooded – electrical equipment was damaged and 120 patients were evacuated to nearby facilities. Would your healthcare facility or public health department be ready if something similar happens in your neighborhood?
In addition to investing in resilient infrastructure and facilities, healthcare organizations can be ready for climate induced emergencies and remain operational through the development of a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP). A COOP is a strategic framework that ensures an organization can continue its essential functions during and after disruptive events, including those caused by climate change. In the healthcare sector, COOPs should address:
- Continuity of Patient Care: COOPs prioritize patient care by outlining procedures to maintain healthcare services even in the face of disasters. This ensures that critical medical treatments and services can continue without interruption.
- Resource Management: By having a well-defined COOP in place, healthcare facilities can better manage and allocate resources such as medical supplies, personnel, and equipment during emergencies, preventing shortages and bottlenecks and move resources as needed within a healthcare coalition or other facilities within a system.
- Staff Preparedness: COOPs include plans for staff training, ensuring that healthcare workers are prepared to respond to climate-related challenges. This includes disaster response training and cross-training to fill essential roles in case some staff are unable to make it into work.
- Infrastructure Resilience: COOPs promote the development and building of resilient healthcare infrastructure that can withstand extreme weather events. This may involve investing in backup power systems, flood mitigation measures, and disaster-resistant construction.
- Community Population Health Protection: COOPs extend beyond the walls of healthcare facilities, encompassing strategies for public health communication and coordination including the scaling of telehealth services. This ensures that communities receive timely information and support during crises, especially vulnerable populations or those that rely on daily medical interventions to sustain life.
Climate change and the increase in severe weather events are real and growing risks for healthcare organizations across the country. To safeguard the continuity of healthcare operations in the face of these challenges, it is imperative to develop and implement robust COOPs. These plans not only protect patients, families, and caregivers but also ensure that healthcare systems remain resilient, effective, and always ready to deliver critical care and provide treatment in times of need.
Hagerty Can Help
Hagerty can help your healthcare organization with Continuity of Operations (COOP) Planning. Our team has experience developing new and validating existing COOP Plans; conducting business impact risk assessments; identifying essential healthcare operational functions; exercising plans; and evaluating results and potential impacts. We can do the same for your organization. Contact us via the form below and one of our experts will be in touch.
Jeff Bokser is Hagerty Consulting’s Vice President of Healthcare Programs with strategic expertise in all aspects of healthcare operations, finance, organizational resiliency, institutional preparedness, and recovery. Jeff has over 20 years of experience as a senior leader at NewYork-Presbyterian and Yale New Haven Health and served as Incident Commander guiding 40,000+ employees through numerous internal and external emergency response and financial recovery operations.