Thursday, December 22, 2022

Are California nursing homes adequately prepared for wildfire-related emergencies?

Peer-Reviewed Publication

WILEY

Emergency preparedness in nursing homes should be commensurate with local environmental risks to ensure residents’ safety, but new research in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that nursing homes in California that face a greater risk of wildfire exposure have poorer compliance with Medicare’s emergency preparedness standards.

For the study, investigators categorized nursing home facilities as “exposed” if they were located within 5 kilometers of a wildfire risk area. When assessing 1,182 nursing homes’ emergency preparedness from January 2017–December 2019, the scientists found that a greater percentage of the 495 exposed facilities had at least one emergency preparedness deficiency than the 687 unexposed facilities (83.9% versus 76.9%). The total number of emergency preparedness deficiencies also tended to be greater for exposed facilities compared with unexposed facilities.

“Our study suggests that there may be opportunities to better align nursing home emergency preparedness with local wildfire risk,” said corresponding author Natalia Festa, MD, of Yale University. “Additional research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying the relationships that we observed."

URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.18142

 

Additional Information

NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Sara Henning-Stout, newsroom@wiley.com.

About the Journal

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society is the go-to journal for clinical aging research. We provide a diverse, interprofessional community of healthcare professionals with the latest insights on geriatrics education, clinical practice, and public policy—all supporting the high-quality, person-centered care essential to our well-being as we age.

About Wiley

Wiley is one of the world’s largest publishers and a global leader in scientific research and career-connected education. Founded in 1807, Wiley enables discovery, powers education, and shapes workforces. Through its industry-leading content, digital platforms, and knowledge networks, the company delivers on its timeless mission to unlock human potential. Visit us at Wiley.com. Follow us on FacebookTwitterLinkedIn and Instagram.

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