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The Office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Office of Information Technology Services, have developed a web-based system for this tracking.
The New York State Evacuation of Facilities in Disasters System (NYS e-FINDS) is a secure, confidential, fast, and easy-to-use system to provide real-time access to patient locations that will be accessed by facilities on the state Department of Health's health commerce system. It will be in place for the 2013 hurricane season. Facilities and local health departments will begin their training on how to navigate this system. For more information on e-FINDS, visit http://nysandyhelp.ny.gov/e-FINDS
In an emergency, providers will affix bar coded wristbands, pre-printed with the facility name, on all their patients and residents. Multiple patient and resident locations can be updated and tracked using hand-held scanners, or paper tracking if power and/or phones are out of service.
This summer, in order to prepare for potential use of e-FINDS in the 2013 storm season, all state-licensed hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities will receive at least one bar code scanner and enough pre-printed bracelets to cover their maximum number of patients during an emergency, plus a small number of bracelets to be used for training purposes.
“We have made disaster preparedness a top priority and have fared well in the recent storm aftermath of hurricanes Irene and Sandy,'' Somers Manor Administrator Joy Bloomer said. "We welcome an added layer of safety and peace of mind that this NYSDOH tracking initiative offers our residents and families.”
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