Operational Plan

An Alternate Care Facility (ACF) is scalable for the provision of medical evaluation and care based on available manpower and resources in what best can be described as an austere environment.

The ACF can be activated to levels of care commensurate to the need of the event. The circumstances surrounding the activation of the ACF as well as the limitations of physical location and staffing elements capabilities will target Joint Commission “sufficiency of care” levels of service as part of the community response network.

The ACF is designed to be activated in support of three basic levels of capability and patient care which is above provisions of care at a traditional dormitory shelter. At each stage, urgent care and evaluation capabilities will be available for assessment and stabilization prior to transfer to appropriate higher acuity facility, if necessary.

Inpatient facilities and staffing will be based on the three general descriptive levels as listed below.

Tiered Levels of Care

(General Population Shelter – No Alternate Care Facility)
Tier One – (Traditional/Dormitory Shelter with Basic First Aid)
Description: Individuals who are independent prior to the disaster or emergency. Some of these individuals may have pre-existing health problems that don’t impede activities of daily living. Needs of individuals in this category should not exceed the basic first aid capabilities of a traditional/dormitory shelter.

Alternate Care Facilities Tier Two – (Medical Needs/Medically Fragile)
Description: Patients have no acute medical conditions but require some medical surveillance and/or special assistance beyond what is available in a standard shelter.

Tier Three – (Skilled Care)
Description: Patients who require recurring professional medical care, special medical equipment, and because of the nature of their condition continual medical surveillance and a level of care usually only available in Hospitals or Skilled Care Facility.

Tier Four – (Mobile Medical/Acute Care Hospital)
Description: Patients who need acute medical care or are experiencing trauma or injury. In case of disease outbreak or certain other disasters (such as earthquake or tsunami), a significant portion of the population may immediately be put into this category as a result of the incident.

Review a sample Alternative Care Facility Operations plan