Sounds like an ominous title for a documentary, doesn’t it? In many ways, it could be.
All providers must follow the prescribed reporting guidelines when reporting “unusual incidents” associated with Hurricane Rita to the Consumer Rights and Services Division by calling 1-800-458-9858 (see PDF copy of provider letter). The reasons go without saying, but just in case:
- Proper reporting will assist in studying the effects of the hurricane on long term care providers and patients.
- The information will be useful in creating more effective disaster management plans.
Long term care providers should report abuse, neglect, exploitation, deaths (even “natural causes” deaths and those “directly and indirectly attributed” to Rita-related events) in cases involving “unusual circumstances.” Specifically regarding deaths:
Providers should report all resident deaths (even those deemed to be due to “natural causes” and chronic or terminal medical conditions) which could be either directly or indirectly attributed to Hurricane Rita-related events, such as stressful environmental conditions, fatigue, anxiety, unavailability of needed medical care, insufficient medical history information, or insufficient water, food or medication.
Providers should also report missing residents and “drug diversions.”