ABSTRACT
Introduction The early twenty-firstcentury finds many healthcare facilities operating at or near full capacity. These facilities have little elasticity in their ability to handle a rapid
Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................87 Staff, Stuff, Structure, and Systems (4 Ss) ............................................................89 Examples of Surge Facilities ................................................................................ 90 Evaluating the Local Community ........................................................................91 Planning for Expansion .......................................................................................93 GIS Applications .................................................................................................96 Conclusion ..........................................................................................................99 References .........................................................................................................100
increase in demand resulting from a major catastrophic incident. An incident could consist of the outbreak of a new highly virulent contagion, such as the H1N1 or H5N1 viruses, or the occurrence of a natural disaster or manmade calamity. To address this identified inelasticity, planners are now beginning to incorporate “surge” planning and the establishment of temporary surge facilities into their forward-thinking models.
