The value of preparedness: organizational culture and preparedness in Delaware nursing homes

Wachtendorf, TriciaIn August of 2011, Hurricane Irene made landfall on the coast of North Carolina and made its way up the east coast of the United States. In anticipation of potential flooding because of this storm, one Delaware nursing home evacuated its facility. As a result the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services Division of Long Term Care Residents Protection sponsored a study to examine the challenges congregate care facilities face regarding disaster preparedness, emergency evacuation, and sheltering. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with administrators and senior level personnel from 17 skilled facilities in Delaware regarding experiences during Hurricane Irene, and preparedness activity more generally. Taking an inductive approach, this study uses organizational culture theory to explore disaster preparedness in skilled facilities. The study seeks to determine if skilled facilities have a culture of preparedness, and if they do, what that culture looks like, if this culture is industry-wide, or if it varies by facility type. Several themes emerged in the analysis, including a capacity for flexibility when necessary, valuing their own experience and the experiences of others in the healthcare setting, and a grounding of risk perception in familiar experiences. Data suggests that the characteristics of their culture are not universal industry-wide, but rather that differences emerge for reasons beyond network involvement.University of Delaware, Department of SociologyM.A