The Florida Health Care Association last week released the Emergency Management Guide for Nursing Homes, a new, comprehensive approach to disaster preparedness for nursing homes.

The new guide includes disaster-specific guidelines to establish an emergency plan and create procedures for staff training and exercises. FHCA has also launched a nursing home emergency preparedness website that highlights these new tools and provides additional resources for nursing homes. That Web site is www.fhca.org/emerprep/index.php.

The 290-page Emergency Management Guide will be distributed to more than 500 nursing homes in Florida and to state healthcare associations across the country. It was developed with assistance from the John A. Hartford Foundation and the University of South Florida.