Emergency Preparedness Specialist

Northeast Georgia Health System•Gainesville, GA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Responsible for the coordination and implementation of emergency preparedness standards to facilitate a safe environment for patients, staff, and visitors. Coordinate education and exercises within the organization to ensure an organized response during a disaster. Responsibilities include the integration of safety and other relevant regulations, and 24/7 oversight of incident and event response.

Requirements

Current and valid Georgia State driver’s license
High School diploma
Completion of FEMA IS-100, FEMA IS-200, FEMA IS-700 and FEMA IS-800 current courses
A minimum of three (3) years of experience in emergency management planning
Familiarity with healthcare emergency preparedness, including security, safety, HAZMAT, OSHA, NIMS, HICS, HVA, CMS, and hospital accreditation body (e.g. DNV, Joint Commission, CMS) related criteria.
Oral and written communication skills, to include facilitation and presentation skills
Proficient at a high level in Microsoft Office products
Strong interpersonal skills
Effective problem solving and decision-making abilities, with a creative approach
Demonstrated ability to address and creatively manage conflict
Ability to work collaboratively with employees at all levels of the organization
Demonstrated ability to manage timelines
Personal organization and time management skills
Personal adaptability
Listening skills

Nice To Haves

Preferred Licensure or other certifications
Preferred Educational Requirements
Preferred Experience

Responsibilities

Serves as the primary staff member for the Emergency Preparedness program for the healthcare system.
Assists the Department Manager in developing and implementing Emergency Management/Preparedness programs.
Serves as a resource for the System providing education and training to System leaders and staff.
Represent the manager or department at local, regional, state, and national emergency management meetings and events.
Works across the system for the review of emergency preparedness plans at the department, campus, system, and external levels.
Ensures the health system’s emergency mass communication system for emergencies is maintained and ensure new employees are added and retired / departing employees are removed.
Responds to emergency incidents on a situational basis and serves as a resource within the incident command structure.
Performs education and training needs assessments and works collaboratively with staff development representatives to create, implement, and review safety/regulatory education and training requirements/programs to meet the needs of staff (e.g. Hospital Incident Command System).
Assists in the preparation and implementation of drills across the System to ensure optimal readiness and response capability and to comply with regulatory requirements.
Convenes planning groups for each drill to assist in the design, execution and critique.
Supports the development of After-Action Reports following planned and unplanned events and tracks improvement action plans to completion.
Meets with departmental leaders from the organization to work on corrective action plans, and improvement initiatives related to safety and emergency management programs.
Develops relationships and collaborates with partners/stakeholders, both internal and external to the organization, such as other local hospital disaster coordinators, the area healthcare coalition, and emergency medical services, public health, fire and law enforcement agencies.
Supports hospital first receiver decontamination education and program in each hospital campus.
Conducts campus specific, annual Hazard Vulnerability Analysis (HVA) / risk analysis to determine the facility’s risk for natural (e.g. hurricane, floods, storms), technological (e.g. loss of network), human-caused (e.g. active shooter or hostage situations) and other disasters.
Recommend appropriate mitigation strategies.
Supports departmental budget initiatives, including management of ASPR / Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) Grant Program.
Inventories and maintains a stockpile of emergency supplies and equipment and ensures routine testing and replacement.
Assists the Department Manager in the development and maintenance of policies and procedures that facilitate compliance and program implementation.
Review departmental response plans to ensure that the plans are cohesive, understood and comprehensive hospital wide.
When necessary, coordinate revision or additional training when needed.
Supports the Department Manager in ensuring the facility meets all standards and compliance with federal regulations related to emergency management planning, such as), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations and standards.
Also ensure that the facility meets the Emergency Management criteria required by the hospital accreditation body (DNV).
Partner and collaborate with NGHS IT and Plant Engineering to enhance hospital continuity of operations and 96-hour planning at each hospital.
Reports outcomes, decisions, and recommendations to the Hospital Emergency Management Committee and the Environment of Care (EOC) Committee.
Performs other duties and responsibilities as required.