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http://www.omniture.com --> Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Advertisement Email Story to a Friend May 8, 2006 Assisted living centers craft disaster plan By JAMIE MILLER Mail Tribune Assisted living centers will work together to evacuate patients during a disaster under a new agreement coordinated by Jackson County. "It's the first one of its kind in the state of Oregon," said Beth DePew, a coordinator with Oregon's Healthcare Preparedness Region 5. The recent agreement sets forth a plan to evacuate assisted living patients from one center to another in the event of disaster such as fire, smoke or flooding. DePew said the assisted living facilities will handle small-scale or short-term evacuations with their own resources. Depending on the size and the scope of the emergency, the centers may call upon local government to help fund and coordinate an evacuation, said DePew. "If it is something larger, like a Hurricane Katrina, then it's all hands on deck." DePew and other Jackson County Health and Human Services officials have been working to develop the agreement over the last six months. Region 5 is one of seven Oregon organizations contracted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate regional efforts to enhance the preparedness capabilities of regional health care delivery systems. Jackson and Josephine counties make up Region 5. "At the onset of this project, I thought, 'Oh brother, this is going to take forever,' " said DePew, explaining how working with many independent agencies can sometimes become a long process involving legal counsel. "However they were amazing and they did this at lightning speed," she said. The agreement between 23 local assisted living facilities, including the Rogue Valley Manor and Alderwood, went into effect on April 27. "I think that it's great and it has been a long time coming," said Dee Lopez, an administrator at Alderwood in Central Point. She said she was pleased to know that the community is united and dedicated to helping each other in emergency situations. Sarah Prewitt, director of public relations for the Rogue Valley Manor, also praised the new partnership. "We have such a network of resources in the valley and to be able to provide others with that support is a great way to ensure the safety and security of Manor residents and those residents who live in other Rogue Valley communities, " said Prewitt. "One of the best resources you can have in a disaster is that you were prepared." DePew hopes Region 5 will become a state model for issues involving emergency evacuations and assisted living centers. She said preparedness plan coordinators in Josephine County are already working to create a similar agreement. Mike Surber, coordinator for Region 7, said that the work with special needs populations in Region 5 has inspired Oregon's other regions to achieve similar goals. Tonja Grainger, who worked with DePew to develop the agreement between assisted living facilities in Jackson County, said emergency planning for special needs populations is necessary because "the assisted living people are always the last to be thought about but they're the first to need assistance." Jamie Miller is an intern at the Mail Tribune. Reach her at 776-4465. Advertisement s Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers Southern Oregon Loans California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Pharmacy