In the wake of Tropical Storm Fay, nursing homes throughout Florida have been receiving visits from state inspectors, and it appears that nursing homes have weathered the storm well.
Only two nursing homes so far have reported power outages, according to Florida Health Care Association Director of Communications Kristen Knapp, and crews responded to the situation promptly. Investigators with the state’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit assessed the physical sites and reported any safety issues to the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Department of Children and Families.
Still this particular storm is something of a challenge to Floridians, she said. “It just doesn’t want to go away,” Knapp said.
But it’s good preparation for future storms, she said. The information Floridians gather could help other hurricane-prone states with their own emergency preparations. Florida has a new emergency nursing home evacuation plan on its health association’s website, www.fhca.org.
