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NIMS deadline looms for funding
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June 1, 2007
Hospitals need to incorporate training by September
The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is a federal initiative joining together hospitals and emergency responders across jurisdictions.
If your hospital receives certain federal preparedness grants, then NIMS is mandatory.
"NIMS integration has been quite a challenge for hospitals," said Melinda Stibal, RN, administration director of emergency and trauma services at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, FL.
"We depend on mutual aid and working together, and NIMS helps us do that," added Stibal, who spoke during HCPro's March 27 audioconference "Strategies to Incorporate New NIMS Requirements into Hospital Emergency Plans."
Five areas to look into soon
By September 30, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will require the following NIMS activities to be adopted by hospitals receiving fiscal year 2007 federal preparedness and response grants:
Hospitals must revise and update emergency operations plans with NIMS components
Training course ICS-100 must be completed by key personnel (suggested for healthcare workers and managers who have a direct role in emergency preparedness, incident management, or emergency response)
ICS-200 must be completed by key personnel (suggested for workers whose primary responsibility is emergency management)
IS-700 must be completed by key staff members (suggested for managers who have a leadership role in emergency preparedness, incident management, or emergency response)
IS-800 must be completed by key personnel (suggested for workers whose primary responsibility is emergency management within a hospital)
You can find full details about the compliance deadline in a newly posted FAQ at www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/hospital_faq_0407.pdf.
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