Recognizing that physicians will be key players in their community's response to a natural disaster or emergency, two divisions of family practice have created disaster response and emergency preparedness plans that will help manage how medical services are provided in the event of a disaster.
Comox Valley |
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The Comox Valley Division of Family Practice has created a plan that 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. |
Victoria |
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The Victoria Division of Family Practice emergency response plan supports physicians in responding to an emergency or disaster, both at the individual practice level and at the wider system level. As part of their plan, the division has created two resources that can be used by physician practices to prepare for an emergency scenario, the Practice Continuity Guide and the Practice Continuity Workbook. Read more about the Victoria Division project. The Comox and Victoria divisions' disaster planning work was also featured in the BC Medical Journal Council on Health Promotion column in the April 2016 issue. |