If you have diabetes and are wondering whether you're prepared for a unexpected disaster, then head for the website of the American Association for Diabetes Educators. There you'll find a Diabetes Disaster Response Toolkit that contains an abundance of information on nearly every aspect of getting prepared and helping your local diabetes community do the same. The toolkit, which was put together by the Alamo Association of Diabetes Educators in Texas, will help any educator or member of the public get ready to handle diabetes during a flood, earthquake, or any other natural or human-made disaster.

The information in the toolkit comes in the form of downloadable PDFs and is presented in the following six information-rich sections.

1. Diabetes Clinic Set-up

The first section is an overview and covers setting up the diabetes clinic. The information is taken from many publications and sources, including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). There are links to many other websites and sources of disaster preparedness information, as well as the following highlights.

• Why is a diabetes clinic even necessary in a disaster? The toolkit reminds us that"People with diabetes can often self-manage emergencies IF they have the proper tools." It also makes the case that"treatment for diabetic emergencies can often be provided in the shelter or shelter clinic, thus lessening impact on the community emergency health system. In addition, this will save money and resources for the evacuation response community."

• The "Personal Item List for Disaster Volunteers" includes, among other items, writing supplies, an extra pair of eye glasses, an alarm clock, a driver's license, an RN license, and a lab coat. In addition to obvious necessities like hypoglycemia treatments and red biohazard bags, a Diabetes Disaster Clinic needs not-so-obvious supplies such as binders for policies/procedures, a staff sign-in clipboard, a calendar for staffing notification, tablets, pens and pencils, bankers boxes with manila file folders, and permanent fine tip markers.

• The Set-up section references the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) and quotes the government site, which says the United States government "has large quantities of medicine and medical supplies to protect the American public if there is a public health emergency (terrorist attack, flu outbreak, earthquake, etc.) severe enough to cause local supplies to run out. Once federal and local authorities agree that the SNS is needed, medicines will be delivered to any state in the U.S. within 12 hours. Each state has plans to receive and distribute SNS medicine and medical supplies to local communities as quickly as possible." Hmm, let's hope they have lots of insulin as a backup to your own emergency supply.

2. Staffing

This section shows what the Alamo Association of Diabetes Educators in Texas has planned in terms of gathering personnel resources, safeguarding credentials, putting together a schedule, and working with community partners.

3. Documentation

This section offers a helpful form for use in your emergency diabetes clinic. It allows you to keep a daily log for each patient, keep track of all their health issues, chart their medications, etc.

4. Policies and procedures

This section covers medical screening and care of evacuees. Unfortunately, the link to the PDF for this section was not working when DH wrote this article. Check the AADE site to see if it is fixed. Other links in this section lead to useful government websites, such as the Occupational and Safety Health Administration's (OSHA's) recommendations for personal protective equipment.

5. Case management

Links to the CDC's publication "Guide to Community Preventive Services" and to a description of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) pledge that the Medicare, Medicaid, and state Children's Health Insurance programs would flex to accommodate the emergency healthcare needs of beneficiaries and medical providers in the Hurricane Katrina devastated states. CMS assured facilities that in a disaster situations such as Katrina, the normal burden of documentation would be waived and that the presumption of eligibility should be made in treating everyone. More information can be found on the CMS website.

6. Patient education

This section contains links to an FDA document with "Tips About Medical Devices and Hurricane Disasters." There is also information from the CDC called "Help for People with Diabetes Affected by Hurricanes." A third link goes to a Red Cross article on "Picking Up the Pieces After a Disaster." An additional useful document contained in the toolkit is a PowerPoint presentation written by the Red Cross, covering topics such as diet considerations for a person with diabetes during a crisis, roles of the CDE, how nurses can pitch in during an emergency, and components of a disaster plan.

If you're a nurse, CDE, person with diabetes, concerned citizen, or all four in one, check out the information shared on the AADE website and get prepared today!

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Source: AADE Diabetes Disaster Response Toolkit