LeadingAge Southeast Emergency Response Staff Contact Information
| Steve Bahmer - (307) 287-4594 |
Lisa Jensen - (850) 345-4397 |
| Susan Langston - (850) 545-6769 |
Nick Van Der Linden - (863) 258-8665 |
| Karen Contrenchis - (504) 442-0483 |
|
In the event that you are unable to reach any of the contacts listed above, please contact Mary Ellen Early via phone at (386) 734-7681 or email meearly@earthlink.net.
In case of an emergency, your first point of contact should be your local EOC. Click here to find contact information for all 67 County Emergency Management Offices. All emergency management offices maintain a list of people within the community with a disability or a special need so they can be assisted quickly during an emergency.
To be directed to your state-specific information on this page, click the appropriate section below.
Florida Current Event Updates
Providers Must Report by 10AM ET Daily and as Their Situation Changes
The Agency
for Health Care Administration has opened a reporting event in the Health Facility Reporting System (HFRS) for Tropical Cyclone Nine. All providers in the following counties are required to report in the system by 10am ET daily and
as their situation changes. The reporting counties are:
Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist,
Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco,
Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington.
Important Documents and Updates:
- To read Governor Ron DeSantis’ executive orders related to Tropical Storm Helene, please visit 2024 Executive Orders.
Property Restoration Services Available for Hurricane Milton Recovery
As our members work to return back to their normal operations, we want to ensure you have access to the necessary resources for recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. To assist with potential recovery needs, we are sharing information about Natural Disaster Solutions (NDS), a property restoration service that offers a full range of services, including:
- Water damage mitigation
- Structural repairs
- Mold remediation
- Debris removal and cleaning
Their team is ready to respond and help you get back to normal operations as quickly as possible. You can contact NDS CEO Brett Overman at 870-219-7729, or click here to learn more.
AHCA Regulatory Updates
AHCA Hurricane Milton Webpage
Billing During Emergencies
Pursuant to the Medicaid Nursing Facility Services Handbook,
if you evacuated your facility without discharging the resident, the originating facility may continue to bill Medicaid for reimbursement and then pay the receiving facility at a contracted rate for its services.
AHCA Key Medicaid Information for Fee-for-Service and Managed Care Providers
- AHCA will waive all prior authorization requirements for critical Medicaid services beginning September 25, 2024, until further notice.
- Early prescription refill edits have been lifted for all maintenance medications (Note: This does not apply to controlled substances).
- If a recipient requires critical Medicaid services beyond the limits stated in policy to maintain safety and health, providers can furnish the service.
- Transportation vendors should continue providing services to all Medicaid enrollees as long as they are able.
PASSR
- Under Hurricane Helene, Preadmission Screening and Resident Review (PASRR) processes were postponed until further notice by the Agency.
- Retroactively performed screenings or resident reviews must document the reason for delay in the completion of PASRR requirements.
- The Agency is waiving the PASRR process for recipients who evacuated due to an evacuation order or power outage and are admitted and discharged during the storm.
Overcapacity 408.821(2) Florida Statutes
Communities that are serving as receiving sites for facilities that evacuated are reminded that under 408.821(2) Florida Statutes, Providers who plan to exceed their licensed capacity in accordance with their comprehensive emergency management plan for more than 15 days must request approval from AHCA as noted in s. 408.821(2), Florida Statutes. Requests for approval must be submitted to AHCA’s applicable licensing unit to continue at overcapacity. The request should include:
- The name and license number of the overcapacity facility;
- If applicable, the name of the evacuating facility and reason the evacuated facility cannot be occupied;
- Where the residents over licensed capacity are living in the facility (private room converted to semi-private; dining room; other locations in the building);
- A description of how staffing and supplies are maintained for residents over licensed capacity; and
- The total number of residents that the facility will be caring for over its licensed capacity.
Facility Re-entry
AHCA Office of Plans and Construction’s webpage
Nursing homes and ALFs that evacuate and want to re-occupy must ensure the facility is undamaged and all critical systems (e.g. electrical, medical gas, ventilation) are functional and staffing is sufficient. If power is not fully restored, even if generators are operational, facilities must receive approval from their county Emergency Management Offices (EMO) prior to re-entry. This ensures local EMOs are aware of your return should resources need to be diverted to support your center.
Facilities should also report to your county EMO all structural damage, no matter how small or large, for determining cost estimates for emergency management and funds distribution. If the nursing home is damaged, contact the AHCA Office of Plans and Construction (AHCA OPC) at 850-412-4477 to discuss damage and impact prior to re-occupancy.
Facilities with significant damage may need a survey by OPC or Field Operations to reopen, these facilities should provide updates in HFRS and review the Damage Assessment Guidelines.
ALFs with damage should contact their County EMO.
Nurse Reciprocity
Florida is part of the Nurse Licensure Compact. The Compact allows a nurse to have one multistate license in the primary state of residence and practice in other Compact states, while subject to each state's practice laws and discipline. Employers can confirm a nurse's license and receive a Licensure QuickConfirm report at www.nursys.com.
Florida Resources
Power Company Links:
AHCA Contact Information
AHCA HFRS Reporting
When AHCA opens a new event for a specific emergency-related event, providers must report their status in HFRS each morning by 10 am ET and as their status/needs change. Failure to do so could result in the provider getting fined. If you Email AHCA at ahcaeoc@ahca.myflorida.com or contact one of the LeadingAge Southeast Emergency Response staff listed at the top of this webpage.
Facility Re-entry
Facilities that evacuate and want to return to their community (facility) must ensure that the facility is undamaged and all critical systems (e.g. electrical, medical gas, ventilation) are functional and staffing is sufficient. If power is not fully restored, even if generators are operational, facilities must receive approval from their county Emergency Management Office (EMO) prior to re-entry. This ensures local EMOs are aware of your return should resources need to be diverted to support your facility.
Facilities should also report to your county EMO all structural damage, no matter how small or large, for determining cost estimates for emergency management and funds distribution. If your facility is damaged, contact the AHCA Office of Plans and Construction (AHCA OPC) at 850-412-4477to discuss damage and impact prior to re-occupancy. Visit the Office of Plans and Construction’s webpage for additional instructions. ALFs with damage should contact their County EMO.
Alabama Current Event Updates
State of Alabama Emergency Order
: Allows for licensed healthcare facilities in Alabama to accept displaced individuals during Hurricane Helene.
9/30/24: Tropical development is possible from the western Caribbean Sea into the Gulf of Mexico later this week.
Alabama Resources
Louisiana Current Event Updates
Tropical development is possible from the western Caribbean Sea into the Gulf of Mexico later this week.
Louisiana Resources
Mississippi Current Event Updates
Tropical development is possible from the western Caribbean Sea into the Gulf of Mexico later this week.
Mississippi Resources
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