# Presentation: 049605

## Establishing Program Leadership and Direction

- Emergency Management Training Conference
- November 28, 2004

## Module Objectives

- Describe some steps involved with establishing program leadership and direction.
- Define the roles of the emergency management program coordinator and committee.
- List some reasons for resistance to emergency preparedness.
- Cite several characteristics of effective emergency management programs.

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Module Objectives (con’t)

- Describe a few motivational strategies.
- Explain the purpose for a program policy and mission statement.
- Discuss why goals are important in emergency management.
- Identify some of the elements of a Strategic Administrative (Preparedness) Plan.

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Emergency ManagementProgram Development is...

*P X P = P*

*People Working Through*
*A Process Towards Products*

- Emergency ManagementProgram Development is...

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Key Products

- Strategic Administrative Plan
- Mitigation/Recovery Program
- On-going mitigation activities
- Recovery Plan
- Preparedness Program
- On-going preparedness activities
- Response Plan (“EOP”)

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

**Notes:**
A plan is a guideline that describes how something should be organized and performed.
The word “program” is used to describe a “living plan” - people working through a process towards key products.

## Program Development Process

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Establishing Leadership and Direction

- Assigning Responsibilities
- Conducting a Program Assessment
- Developing the Strategic Administrative Plan
- Building Support
- Creating Opportunities for Interagency Coordination

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Discussion Question

- What are some of the obstacles faced by those who are responsible for coordinating emergency preparedness within organizations?

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Designate an EM Program Coordinator

- The EM program coordinator’s task is to use a variety of resources, techniques and skills to create a team of agencies and organizations who work through a process of steps that reduces the probability and impact of extreme events – and should a disaster occur, brings about a quick restoration of routines.

- Hoetmer

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## EM Coordinator’s Roles

- This task requires the roles of _coordinator_, _facilitator_ and _compromiser_ – not autocrat, since he/she has no control over the variety of individuals, organizations and levels of government whom are involved in emergency management.

- Hoetmer

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Intervention Theory

- Valid Information

- Free Choice

- Internal Commitment

***To effectively assist***
***autonomous groups***
***with problem-solving,***
***you must create***
***a working relationship***
***that has three***
***characteristics***

***Your goal is to make them***
_***less dependent***_*** on you as they***
***arrive at their own solutions***

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## “Effectiveness”

- An effective emergency management program eliminates or reduces hazards that pose a threat to the health and welfare of patients, visitors and staff and enables the organization to manage an unusual incident with minimal disruption to normal business operations.

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Form an EM Program Committee

- The Committee advises the EM Program Coordinator
- Members should:
- represent all key functional areas within the entity and include appropriate external groups
- possess expertise and knowledge of their functional area
- have the authority to commit resources

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Program Review

***100%***

***0%***

***INEFFECTIVE***
***PROGRAM***

***EFFECTIVE***
***PROGRAM***

***HEALTH CARE***
***FACILITY***
***PROGRAM***
***EVALUATION***

***ENTIRE HOSPITAL HAS BEEN INVOLVED & IS READY***

***JCAHO***

***EPC***

***Is my hospital***
***prepared for ***
***disaster?***
***Who’s in charge?***
***How can I make***
***a difference?***

***Lives Will Be Saved !***

***MOST EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT***
***END PRODUCTS DONE IN A “VACUUM”***
***ALL STAFF NOT INVOLVED, NO LINKAGE***
***TO THE COMMUNITY.***

***Lives Will Be Lost !***

***“******Window of***
***Opportunity”***

**Stoffel**

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Opportunities

- Annual life safety reviews
- After-action reviews/critiques
- Real world events
- Preparing for and follow-up to JCAHO surveys.

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Dealing with Resistance

- Apathy by the General Public
- Lack of awareness
- Under-estimation of risk
- Over-reliance on technology
- Fatalism/denial

- Auf der Heide

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Organizational Apathy

- Opposing special interest groups
- Lack of an organized constituency
- Defeatism
- “Higher priorities”
- Difficulty substantiating the benefits
- Over-estimation of capability
- Inter-governmental paradox
- Ambiguity of responsibility

- Auf der Heide

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Motivational Strategies

- Ability to show cause and effect (HVA, effect other disasters have had on hospitals)
- Conducting regular, brief and informative meetings for the EM Committee
- Enabling staff attendance at outside training
- Link the facility EM Committee to community EM events

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Factors that Affect Capabilities

- Agency/department policies
- Size of facility
- Facility administration
- Facility acceptance of emergency management
- Characteristics of the EPC
- Structure and integrity of the program
- Disaster events (local, regional, national)
- Community EM Network/Program

- Drabek

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Drabek

***Strategies Used***
***By Program Manager***

***Structure & Integrity***
***of Facility’s EM***
***Program***

***Facility***
***Response***
***Capability***

***Interorganizational***
***Emergency Organi-***
***zational Network***

***Manager’s***
***Characteristics***

***Local***
***Disaster***
***Events***

***Facility***
***Size***

***Unique Extra-Facility***
***Disaster Events***

***Federal***
***Policies***

***Department***
***Policies***

***Facility Acceptance***
***of Emergency***
***Management***

***Facility***
***Administration***

**Theoretical Model**
**of Facility Response**
**Capability ****1**
***Major Effect                           ***
***Secondary Effect                     ***

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Things to Strive for...

- Roles of officials defined
- Strong and definitive lines of command
- Disaster organizational structure and procedures similar to routine structures
- Good interpersonal relationships
- Planning is conducted on an on-going basis
- All hazard approach
- Disaster prevention and mitigation
- Motivation provided for involvement

- ICMA

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Things to Strive for... (con’t)

- User involvement
- Coordination among participating groups
- Public/private cooperation
- Multiple use of resources
- Public information function clearly defined
- Ability to alert the public maximized
- Ability to maintain comprehensive records during a disaster

- ICMA

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## How to Achieve them...

- Meet and greet agency heads
- Research your community
- Ascertain the level of commitment and mission
- Establish personal credibility and commitment
- Use past experience
- Engage in consensus-building activities
- Seek to coordinate, not control

- Drabek

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## How to Achieve Them (con’t)

- Increase public awareness and knowledge
- Establish media relationships
- Continue professional development
- Establish a professional network
- Tenacity is essential !

- Drabek

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Opportunities for Professional Development

- Workshops and training courses.offered by State and local EM agencies
- Subscriptions to EM-related periodicals
- Internet resources
- Community college/university programs
- Volunteering
- ??

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Strategic Admin. Plan

- Laws & Authorities
- Policy & Mission Statement(s)
- Program Coordinator & Committee Responsibilities
- Goals, objectives, strategies & budget
*The preparedness strategy for the EM Program, developed by the EM Committee and approved by the CEO.*

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Establishing theOrganization’s Disaster “Mission Statement”

- What is the primary mission, purpose or activity of each Department, Service or Group?  Draft a short statement for each
- With what other Groups?
***   ***

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Why are Goals Important?

- Disasters don’t happen everyday!
- Establish direction
- Help to maintain long-run involvement of resource providers
- Enhance performance

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Objectives & Strategies

- Objectives:
- Break the goal into its parts.
- Clarify what is being sought.
- Allow measurement of progress.
- Strategies are the means to accomplish the desired results.

***Developing and sharing task strategies***
***is a critical part of organizational,***
***program and professional development***

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Gain Executive Support

- Conduct regular, brief and informative updates.
- Enhance professional credibility.
- Ability to show benefits of investment.
- Have more disasters?
- ?

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Creating Inter-organizational Coordination

- Link the facility’s program to:
- Hospital Council
- Public Health
- Voluntary organizations
- Encourage staff attendance at education, training and exercises.
- Participate in professionalism activities.

- Veterans Health Administration

- 112804

## Questions?