Emergency Preparedness Guidance and Trainings

by | May 29, 2022

Twogether Consulting

May 29th, 2022

2022 Hurricane Season Emergency Preparedness with COVID-19

Long-term care providers in Texas are reminded to review their emergency preparedness and response plans before the Atlantic hurricane season begins, which runs June 1–Nov. 30. LTC providers should make updates, if necessary.

Providers should factor in COVID-19 contingencies when reviewing their preparedness plans. For example, as applicable:

  • Are your receiving facilities and transportation contracts still viable?
  • If your provider type is allowed to evacuate to a hotel and that is in your plan, are hotels open in your destination?
  • How will you maintain infection control measures during evacuation or sheltering-in-place?
  • If you have COVID-19 positive persons in your facility, how will that affect evacuation or sheltering-in-place?
  • How will you make sure personal protective equipment is available in addition to food and medicine?

Providers affected by an adverse event, such as severe weather, or expects it will need to temporarily exceed capacity due to a disaster, should contact their HHSC LTC Regulatory regional office.

Please refer to your program’s rules for more important information regarding emergency preparedness.

Hurricane and Flooding Readiness for HCS/TxHmL
Wednesday, June 1
1:45–3 p.m.
Register for the training.

August 15th, 2021

August and September 2021 LTCR Provider Training Opportunities

Long-Term Care Regulatory providers are invited to attend the following trainings hosted in August and September. Visit the Joint Training Opportunities page to register and learn more about each of these events.

Emergency Preparedness in Long-Term Care Facilities
August 18
1:30 p.m.
Register for the webinar.

August 25
1:30 p.m.
Register for the webinar.

September 13
1:30 p.m.
Register for the webinar.

September 23
1:30 p.m.
Register for the webinar.

July 4th, 2021

Hurricane and Flooding Readiness Webinars for LTC Providers

Home & Community-based Services:

Wednesday, July 21
2 -3:30 p.m.
Register for the webinar.

Intermediate Care Facilities:

Wednesday, July 21
10 -11:30 a.m.
Register for the webinar.

July 2021 LTCR Provider Training Opportunities

Long-Term Care Regulatory providers are invited to attend the following trainings hosted in July.  Visit the Joint Training Opportunities page to register and learn more about each of these events.

Emergency Preparedness in Long-Term Care Facilities

July 21
1:30 p.m.
Register for the webinar.

July 28
1:30 p.m.
Register for the webinar.

July 3rd, 2021

CMS Provides Guidance on Full-Scale Emergency Preparedness Exercises

ICF Providers, please make sure you see this.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued Quality Safety & Oversight Memo QSO-20-41-ALL Revised (PDF). The memo gives more guidance to providers on full-scale exercise requirements that are part of CMS regulations for emergency preparedness.
The following provider types are exempted from completing a required full-scale exercise for the 2021 cycle based on a provider’s activation of their emergency plan.

  • Nursing facilities
  • ICFs-IID
  • Home health agencies
  • Inpatient hospice providers

This exemption does not apply to the exercise of choice.
Providers should still follow all other emergency preparedness guidance in the March 26, 2021 State Operations Manual, Appendix Z (PDF).