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<regulation prefix="Regulation" num=".40" citation="COMAR 10.07.02.40" title_num="10" subtitle_num="07" chapter_num="02" heading="Emergency and Disaster Plan.">
  <paragraph num="A.">
    <text>Emergency and Disaster Plan.</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>The licensee shall develop an emergency and disaster plan that includes procedures that shall be followed before, during, and after an emergency or disaster, including:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Evacuation, transportation, or shelter in place of residents;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Notification of families and staff regarding the action that will be taken concerning the safety and well-being of the residents;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Staff coverage, organization, and assignment of responsibilities for ongoing shelter in place or evacuation, including identification of staff members available to report to work or remain for extended periods; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(d)">
        <text>The continuity of services, including:</text>
        <paragraph num="(i)">
          <text>Operations, planning, and financial and logistical arrangements;</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(ii)">
          <text>Procuring essential goods, equipment, and services to sustain operations for at least 72 hours;</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(iii)">
          <text>Relocation to alternate facilities or other locations; and</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(iv)">
          <text>Reasonable efforts to continue care.</text>
        </paragraph>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>The licensee shall have a tracking system to locate and identify residents in the event of displacement due to an emergency or disaster that includes at a minimum the:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Resident's name;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Time that the resident was sent to the initial alternative facility or location; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Name of the initial alternative facility or location where the resident was sent.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(3)">
      <text>When the nursing home relocates residents, the nursing home shall send a medical fact sheet and any medically related information with each resident that includes at a minimum the resident’s:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Name;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Medical condition or diagnosis;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Medications;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(d)">
        <text>Allergies;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(e)">
        <text>Special diets or dietary restrictions;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(f)">
        <text>Family or legal representative contact information; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(g)">
        <text>Advance directives, living will, or a copy of the resident’s Maryland’s Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST) form.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(4)">
      <text>The brief medical fact sheet for each resident described in §A(3) of this regulation shall be:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Updated upon the occurrence of any change of information on the medical fact sheet;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Reviewed at least monthly; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Maintained in a written, electronic, or printed form in a central location readily accessible and available to accompany residents in case of an emergency evacuation.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(5)">
      <text>The licensee shall review the emergency and disaster plan at least annually and update the plan as necessary.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(6)">
      <text>The licensee shall:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Identify a facility, facilities, alternate location, or alternate locations that have agreed to house the licensee's residents during an emergency evacuation; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Document an agreement with each facility or location.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(7)">
      <text>The licensee shall:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Identify a source or sources of transportation that have agreed to safely transport residents during an emergency evacuation; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Document an agreement with each transportation source.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(8)">
      <text>Upon request, a licensee shall provide a copy of the facility's emergency and disaster plan to the local emergency management organization for the purposes of coordinating local emergency planning. The licensee shall provide the emergency and disaster plan in a format that is mutually agreeable to the local emergency management organization.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(9)">
      <text>The licensee shall identify an emergency and disaster planning liaison for the facility and shall provide the liaison's contact information to the local emergency management organization.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(10)">
      <text>The licensee shall prepare an executive summary of its evacuation procedures to provide to a resident, family member, or legal representative upon request. The summary shall, at a minimum:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>List means of potential transportation to be used in the event of evacuation;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>List potential alternative facilities or locations to be used in the event of evacuation;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Describe means of communication with family members and legal representatives;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(d)">
        <text>Describe the role and responsibilities of the resident, family member, or legal representative in the event of an emergency situation; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(e)">
        <text>Notify families that the information provided may change depending upon the nature or scope of the emergency or disaster.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(11)">
      <text>Maryland Health Alert Network.</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>A nursing home shall register with the Maryland Health Alert Network.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>A nursing home shall register at least four representatives, including the administrator and the director of nursing.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Following any changes in the initial registration of the four representatives, a nursing home shall update the information within 5 business days of the change.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(12)">
      <text>The licensee shall:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Identify an emergency and disaster planning liaison for the nursing home; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Provide the liaison’s contact information to the local emergency management organization.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(13)">
      <text>The licensee shall prepare an executive summary of the nursing home’s evacuation procedures to provide to a resident, family member, or resident’s representative upon request. The summary shall, at a minimum:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>List potential means of transportation to be used in the event of evacuation;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>List potential alternative facilities or locations to be used in the event of evacuation;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Describe means of communication with family members and resident’s representatives;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(d)">
        <text>Describe the role and responsibilities of the resident, family member, or resident’s representative in the event of an emergency situation; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(e)">
        <text>Notify families that the information provided may change depending on the nature or scope of the emergency or disaster.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="B.">
    <text>Evacuation Plans. The facility shall conspicuously post individual floor plans with designated evacuation routes on each floor.</text>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="C.">
    <text>Orientation and Drills.</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>The licensee shall:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Orient staff to the emergency and disaster plan and to their individual responsibilities in relation to the plan within 24 hours of the commencement of job duties;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Document completion of the orientation in the staff member’s personnel file through the signature of the employee; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Within 24 hours of admission, notify and direct residents to the nursing home’s emergency plans and maps, including evacuation procedures.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>Fire Drills.</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>The licensee shall conduct fire drills at least quarterly on all shifts.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>The licensee shall:</text>
        <paragraph num="(i)">
          <text>Document completion of each drill;</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(ii)">
          <text>Have all staff who participated in the drill sign the document; and</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(iii)">
          <text>Maintain the documentation on file for a minimum of 2 years.</text>
        </paragraph>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(3)">
      <text>Semiannual Emergency and Disaster Drill.</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>The licensee shall conduct a semiannual emergency and disaster drill on all shifts during which the facility practices evacuating residents or sheltering in place so that each is practiced at least one time a year.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>The drills may be conducted via a table-top exercise if the licensee can demonstrate that moving residents will be harmful to the residents.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Documentation. The licensee shall:</text>
        <paragraph num="(i)">
          <text>Document completion of each drill or training session;</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(ii)">
          <text>Have all staff who participated in the drill or training sign the document;</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(iii)">
          <text>Document any opportunities for improvement as identified as a result of the drill; and</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(iv)">
          <text>Keep the documentation on file for a minimum of 2 years.</text>
        </paragraph>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(4)">
      <text>The licensee shall cooperate with the local emergency management agency in emergency planning, training, and drills and in the event of an actual emergency.</text>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
</regulation>