Extendicare credits newly-formed IMS team to co-ordinated H1N1 response
National long-term care provider creates special intranet section to communicate effectively
Monday January 18, 2010 -- Camille Jensen
Extendicare’s new Incident Management System (IMS) played an instrumental role in ensuring the long-term care provider was able to respond to the H1N1 flu crisis in a co-ordinated and effective manner, says Kathy O’Reilly, Extendicare’s vice-president of quality and performance improvement.

According to O’Reilly, Extendicare’s IMS is modelled after Ontario’s Emergency Response Plan to provide the national long-term care provider with a main decision-making body for pandemic and emergency-related issues.

It was the first time the organization had used the IMS team, which was created shortly before the H1N1 flu began.

Comprised of members from key areas throughout the organization, such as occupational health and safety and internal purchasing, the team brought a breadth of knowledge and experience to provide solutions during the difficult time, says O’Reilly.

“The greatest benefit is it allowed us to leverage the expertise and the knowledge of a number of people within the organization who could bring to the table different skills and knowledge bases,” O’Reilly tells the Morning Report.

“If we were struggling in one aspect of the country we could maybe leverage resources or solutions from another part of a country, so it really brought together a team that was able to look at one issue from a very co-ordinated approach.”

The IMS team also played an important role in providing clear communication during the pandemic.

The IMS team designated a special section on the company’s intranet site to provide employees with a central place to access information, such as relevant policies, resources and frequent updates on the status of the pandemic.

The intranet site also included educational videos from the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion, as well links to educational materials from the Public Health Agency of Canada and the World Health Organization.

Staff members could send in their questions to be answered and shared with others in the organization through the intranet site.

“I think it really helped us in terms of having a consistent approach across Canada and I think it hopefully minimized confusion during a very confusing time,” says O’Reilly, citing vaccination plans and the availability of vaccines as two areas where the organization was able to provide reliable information to its staff members.

The first-time experience of using the IMS team is also providing an opportunity for Extendicare to conduct a lessons learned and hear feedback from its staff to make the team more effective in the future, says O’Reilly.

She says the group has learned of the need to expand the membership of IMS in case a team member becomes ill and the importance of being aware of the different time zones when releasing important information.

While the IMS team proved important during the H1N1 outbreak, O’Reilly is congratulating Extendicare homes for their diligence and commitment to the process, which she says made a difference in the organization’s overall response and care for its residents.

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