NY Facilities Launch Emergency Tracking System

ALBANY, N.Y. — After evaluating evacuation procedures during Hurricane Sandy, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced on June 5 the launch of a statewide emergency tracking system to track patients during an emergency evacuation.

The New York State Evacuation of Facilities in Disasters System (NYS e-FINDS) is a secure system that will provide information on real-time patient locations. The system will require facilities to use barcode wristbands pre-printed with the facility name for all patients and facility residents, with the exception of facilities with substance abuse programs that require confidentiality. The patient and resident locations can then be updated and tracked with the use of hand-held scanners, mobile apps or (in the event of a power outage) paper tracking.

During Hurricane Sandy, more than 13,000 patients and residents were evacuated from state-regulated and state-run facilities. More than 7,100 of those people were specifically evacuated from hospitals and nursing homes. Because there was no statewide system in place, it was difficult to track patients and residents that were transferred to alternative locations when flooding and power outages occurred.

“New York’s hospital community strongly supports the development of a patient tracking system that will improve the evacuation process and ensure that family members and key response agencies can track the location of patients during emergencies,” said Kenneth E. Raske, president of the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA), in a statement. “We applaud New York State for its leadership in analyzing the region’s response to Superstorm Sandy and identifying ways to improve evacuations, the safety of those sheltering in place and the ability to protect our most vulnerable populations.”

The system will be in place in time for the 2013 hurricane season in the fall. Training for state hospital staffs began the second week of June. It will offer patient tracking to hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities overseen by the Department of Health, among other state health care organizations.

The recommendation to use NYS e-FINDS came from the NYS Ready and Respond Commissions, with collaboration from organizations such as the GNYHA.