Dec 07 2007
Are you prepared? Coping with mother nature.
Have an electronic chart? Electronic schedules? A full patient schedule? What will happen when you lose all power for 5-10 days?
That’s what has happened here. Last Sunday we had a storm come through that we all expected. And we did lose power for several hours. But then it came back on…but only for a short time. What we did not know…was that we were about to be hit with sustained winds of 45-50mph with gusts above 81mph (which was the highest recorded gust before even that system went down) for the next 24 hours. Light posts, trees, and power towers were crumbled. Power lines, houses and unfortunately, a man in my neighborhood were crushed. In the east county, floods followed, forcing evacuations.
Aside from what was happening at home and in the community, patients want to be seen. Yet our office, was dark, cold and we had no access to records. Cell phone coverage was spotty at best, but we were able to contact some folks to let them know we were down.
Power was restored to our home this morning, and I assume our office since it’s less than 1/2 mile away. I’ll keep you posted with ideas on how to prepare for power outages in this time of electronic offices and equipment.
The upside to all this…we really are fine. People in the community came together (except for a few creeps who figured it was a good time to “loot”), we got to clean our the refrigerator and freezer (both now stand empty), and our previously wooded lot now has views of the harbor!
Tags: electronic charts, EMR, NP Practice, power outage
Please refer to my response under Business Disaster Plan - I jumped the gun I’m afraid and probably should have put my response under this heading instead of the other for what happens when disaster strikes. Sure it was two years ago, but is still fresh in all of our minds. We remember the terrifying realization that we were in danger and that we ourselves had no control over our situation, and prayed to God, who is always in control of our lives and knows what is best for us regardless of how much we might think we are in control of our destiny.
I wish for all of you to have a Happy New Year! I pray that we all realize equal representation and reimbursement for the hard work that we do in caring for our patients everyday. Being a Nurse Practitioner is such a rewarding career! One that we get to practice the profession we have chosen and love. We get to care for patients who most of us come to love and respect and desire to provide the best care possible. It matters not to us if they are the Bill Gates of the world or the equivalent of the Baby Jesus’ of the world, people who are poor and downtrodden. We care for all equally and with the same fervor, earnestness, eagerness, empressement, zeal, passion, enthusiasm, verve, professionalism, skill, knowledge, experience and most of all - HEART! Yes, that’s right - I said “HEART” - because it takes a big heart to be so dedicated and determined to persevere in the face of so much ignorance and political maneuvering to keep us “under thumb” and “subservient” and our patients “in the dark” about all we have to offer.
To all a Happy New Year - one that is prosperous in all aspects of our lives!
Sincerely,
Nina Ravey, RN, MSN, CNS, FNP-BC, APRN, APC