26 TAC 558.256 — Emergency Preparedness Planning and Implementation

What this rule requires your agency to do

• 1Designate by title a disaster coordinator and at least one alternate, and include a continuity-of-operations business plan, disaster-news monitoring procedures (including after hours), and procedures to release client information per §558.301(a)(2) (subsec. (c)).(26 TAC 558.256 — Emergency Preparedness Planning and Implementation)
• 2Include procedures to identify clients who may need evacuation assistance and, for those wanting to register and not already registered, provide requested assistance to complete State of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry (STEAR, 2-1-1) registration (subsec. (f)-(g)).(26 TAC 558.256 — Emergency Preparedness Planning and Implementation)
• 3No later than five working days after temporarily relocating a place of business or expanding service area due to an emergency, notify the HHSC licensing unit (by fax/email, or telephone with written follow-up) with the specified information (subsec. (o)-(p)).(26 TAC 558.256 — Emergency Preparedness Planning and Implementation)
• 4Include procedures to triage clients and readily access an active client's triage category during an emergency, categorizing clients by services provided, need for continuity, and availability of someone to assume responsibility for the client's emergency response plan (subsec. (e)).(26 TAC 558.256 — Emergency Preparedness Planning and Implementation)
• 5The administrator and alternate administrator must enroll in the HHSC emergency communication system, and the agency must respond to information requests received through it in HHSC's format (subsec. (q)).(26 TAC 558.256 — Emergency Preparedness Planning and Implementation)
• 6Orient and train employees, volunteers, and contractors about their responsibilities in the plan; review the plan internally at least annually and after each actual emergency; and test the response phase in a planned drill if not tested in an actual emergency (subsec. (i)-(k)).(26 TAC 558.256 — Emergency Preparedness Planning and Implementation)
• 7Maintain a written emergency preparedness and response plan, based on a risk assessment of natural and man-made disasters likely in the service area, that comprehensively describes the agency's approach across mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery phases (subsec. (a), (c)(5)).(26 TAC 558.256 — Emergency Preparedness Planning and Implementation)
• 8Provide and discuss with each client the agency staff's emergency roles, the client's responsibilities, survival/evacuation/shelter-in-place materials, and a list of community disaster resources including STEAR (subsec. (h)).(26 TAC 558.256 — Emergency Preparedness Planning and Implementation)