Recognizing the need for coordinated care for patients in the Comox region in the event of a catastrophe, the Comox Valley Division of Family Practice has created a detailed emergency response plan for care providers in the area.
The plan--the first of its kind in BC--focuses on engaging the approximately 100 physicians and specialists in the region, many of whom do not have hospital privileges, to provide essential treatment and care for non-life-threatening injuries in their own clinics. Using local clinics as satellite emergency stations could prevent St. Joseph’s General Hospital from becoming overwhelmed with caring for those who have been injured in a catastrophe.
Should a catastrophe occur, clinics participating in the plan will be activated as Disaster First Aid Stations (DFAS). So far five clinics in the region, along with pharmacies nearby, are participating.
The PHSA Health Emergency Management Program has contacted the Comox Valley Division to collaborate on the creation of their own plan, based on the division's work.
Click here to read the article about the program in the Comox Valley Echo, and click here to visit the Comox division website for more information.
The Comox and Victoria division's disaster planning work was also featured in the Council on Health Promotion column in the April 2016 issue.