Florida Congressman Daniel Webster was quite happy this week when his bipartisan bill was passed to strengthen “Worst-Case Scenario” preparedness for hospitals and long-term care facilities.
“Disaster preparedness is critical for protecting lives, improving resiliency and being good stewards of disaster relief dollars,” Webster, of Clermont, said. “The bill is a much-needed first step to ensuring that hospitals and long-term care facilities are more resilient against natural disasters.”
Webster said maintaining “a high standard” of inspection, upkeep and disaster preparedness – especially in places like Florida – will reduce the future loss of important facilities that many seniors and veterans rely on.
“Being better prepared on the front end should also save taxpayers millions of dollars in disaster relief,” he added.
Webster’s bill, which was co-introduced with Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Michigan, requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to engage with the National Academy of Medicine to conduct a comprehensive study into the future natural disaster threats impacting emergency preparedness procedures for hospitals, long-term care facilities and other health care centers.
The study will provide Congress with new recommendations and expert analysis on:
• Current emergency preparedness policies and regulations;
• Identifying new policies that better address all future threats;
• Improving federal grant programs to assist health care facilities; and
• Providing updated guidelines for alternative power systems and access to clean water.
