by Brianna Crandall — April 14, 2021 — The not-for-profit Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) just announced the release of Guidance for Designing Health and Residential Care Facilities that Respond and Adapt to Emergency Conditions. This white paper, which includes the draft Guidelines for Emergency Conditions in Health and Residential Care Facilities, is the result of a collaboration of 130 volunteers representing multiple disciplines in healthcare, residential care, and facility design. FGI CEO and Emergency Conditions Committee Chair Douglas S. Erickson acknowledges, “This effort reflects thousands of hours of work by the diverse volunteer members of FGI’s Emergency Conditions Committee, other subject matter experts, and the FGI staff.”
The Covid-19 pandemic brought an influx of requests to FGI to provide practical guidance on setting up temporary facilities and adapting existing facilities to meet the particular needs of the pandemic. In response to these queries, the FGI Board of Directors formed a committee to take a critical look at existing Guidelines requirements and recommendations on emergency preparedness, determine best practices, and establish a new minimum standard on emergency preparedness and response for health and residential care facilities. The overarching goal of the white paper is to help health and residential care organizations respond to emergency events and plan mitigation strategies in anticipation of future emergency events.
