The summer season is upon us, and as temperatures continue to rise across the nation, it's becoming more and more crucial to uphold an emergency preparedness plan for your medical facility. Extreme weather events are a strain on resources and pose significant challenges for hospitals.
From the early heatwaves and droughts exacerbated by the fire season on the West Coast, to the torrential downpours and heavy winds brought on by the Atlantic hurricane season, remaining informed so you can be equipped and protected is of the utmost importance.
Establishing emergency protocols not only ensures you have the proper equipment to take care of your patients during times of disaster, but it also allows you and your staff to save time when it matters the most. Whether you're sourcing your emergency preparedness equipment for the first time, or if you're hoping to build upon or validate your existing procurement plan, we at CME Corp are here to help.
Below, you will find the most pertinent categories of equipment that best meet your needs in times of emergency.
Infection Prevention
Preventing or ending the spread of hospital-acquired infections should always be a priority in mind. Being proactive now ensures that you will have the time later to care for your patients and protect your staff. Disinfecting portable equipment, exposed surfaces, or PPE, for example, are among the vast opportunities to keeping your facility free of infection-causing bacterium.
The following items provide viable solutions for infection prevention:
- UVC Disinfection
- PAPRs
- Isolation Carts
- PPE Dispensers for masks, gloves, sanitizers, hygiene stations and more
- Privacy Screens and Barrier Shields
- Antimicrobial Surfaces including cubicle curtains, screen/keyboard protectors, shelving, and stretchers
Patient Mobility & Transfer Equipment
It's important to make sure your transfer equipment is not only comfortable and safe for your patients, but also comfortable and safe for your staff. Having these ambulatory equipment solutions ready for times of emergency allows your patients to move or be assisted to move more easily to and from a wheelchair, bed, car, bathtub, or toilet.
Here are some surefire solutions for transferring patients:
- Stretchers (with antimicrobial, fire-retardant, and fluid-proof top covers)
- Patient Slider Transfer Boards
- Transfer Sheets
- Commodes
- Transport Chairs
- Wheelchairs
- Emergency Cots and Beds
Patient Monitoring & Diagnostic Equipment
Keep a close eye on your patients, and provide accurate diagnoses and treatment with monitoring devices and diagnostic equipment. Time is of the essence, and if there is an emergency, it becomes critical to have everything you need to assess your patients with real-time accuracy.
The following pieces of equipment are certainly emergency must-haves:
- Thermometers
- Wall Diagnostic Boards
- Vital Signs Monitors
- Pulse Oximeters
- Spirometers
- AEDs
- ECGs
- Exam/Diagnostic Lighting
- Height Measurement Tools (tape, rods, or stadiometers)
- Workstations on Wheels (WOWs)
- Exam Stools
- Scales
Storage Solutions & Emergency Supplies
Ensure your emergency supplies are where you need them when you need them by staying equipped with storage solutions. Whether you'll need cold storage equipment for vaccines, storage carts for PPE, bins for waste management and more, the following list of equipment will make sure all your bases are covered
- Stainless Steel Hampers
- IV Poles
- Mayo Stand
- Treatment Tables
- Isolation Carts
- Supply Cabinets
- Centrifuges
- Cold Storage Equipment
- Waste Management Solutions
- Triage Tags (if computers are down, triage tags provide rapid patient assessments to help medical staff provide better, faster care)
Respiratory Equipment
In emergency situations requiring multiple oxygen sources and rapid deployment, it's important to deliver fast-acting or long-term control solutions for your patients and their breathing-related difficulties. The following respiratory products can help you to provide the immediate, reliable, and minimally invasive care needed by your patients:
Being well-prepared before a storm or any other disaster is crucial, and as travel conditions improve after a storm, it is equally as important to be equipped due to the influx of patients finding their way to hospitals. As long as you and your staff plan with flexibility and adaptability in mind, you will have enough supplies, equipment, and support to stay protected and weather the storm.
CME Corp can help outfit your temporary ICU, triage, or lab, as well as provide you with ongoing supplies such as face shields, floor signage, partitions, and refrigerators or freezers for storing vaccines. For a more in-depth look at our emergency preparedness equipment, please refer to our digital catalog.
Along with providing these important products, CME can handle the logistics of getting your product assembled and delivered direct-to-site, as well as provide biomedical assistance for temporary facilities or emergency preparedness staffing. For more information about our products and services, reach out to your local CME Account Manager or visit our website.
About CME: CME Corp is the nation’s premier source for healthcare equipment, turnkey logistics, and biomedical services, representing 2 million+ products from more than 2,000 manufacturers.
With two corporate offices and 35+ service centers, our mission is to help healthcare facilities nationwide reduce the cost of the equipment they purchase, make their equipment specification, delivery, installation, and maintenance processes more efficient, and help them seamlessly launch, renovate and expand on schedule.
