6 Colo. Code Regs. § 1009-5 Regulation 3

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 11, June 10, 2024

Regulation Regulation 3 - Preparations by Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers for an Emergency Epidemic

1. Each rural health clinic licensed by CDPHE and certified by the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services, and federally qualified health center that operates medical facilities or pharmacies is required to maintain an up-to-date notification list for an emergency epidemic. The list shall include any satellite clinics, acute care facilities, or trauma centers operated by the organization, as well as offices of physicians and health care providers working as full-time contractors or staff of the organization. Each rural health clinic and federally qualified health center is required at least once per year:

(A) to confirm the notification list is accurate and up to date, and

(B) to conduct a notification test or real incident communications by a broadcast fax or another communications method for rapid notification.

2. Each, rural health clinic and federally qualified health center providing acute care shall prepare a plan that the organization will implement when the governor declares a disaster emergency that is the result of an occurrence or imminent threat of an emergency epidemic. The plan shall be reviewed and updated as needed but at least every 3 years, and submitted at least every 3 years to CDPHE. In addition, each rural health clinic and federally qualified health center shall ensure that a copy of the plan(s) are reviewed with and made available to its appropriate community partners. The plan shall address the following areas:

A) Having sufficient supplies, training for staff using personal protective equipment and a process for the provision of personal protective equipment to employees who are assigned to work in areas where they may be exposed to ill and contagious persons or to infectious agents and waste. Personal protective equipment shall, at a minimum, be the equipment and supplies used to achieve standard precautions against bacterial and viral infections;

B) Rapid transport of human diagnostic specimens to the state laboratory or as otherwise directed by CDPHE, and;

C) Implementation of a back-up communications system, such as 800 megahertz radios or amateur radio emergency services, that will be used for communication if and when telephone communications are disabled or not functioning.

3. Each rural health clinic and federally qualified health center shall conduct at least one exercise of its plan every three years. If the rural health clinic or federally qualified health center activates its plan in response to one or more actual emergencies, these emergencies can serve in place of emergency response exercises. Each rural health clinic and federally qualified health center shall complete an after-action report and improvement matrix within 60 days of exercise or real incident completion. The report and the improvement matrix will be submitted to CDPHE.

6 CCR 1009-5 Regulation 3

38 CR 15, August 10, 2015, effective 9/14/2015

42 CR 08, April 10, 2019, effective 5/15/2019

46 CR 06, March 25, 2023, effective 2/15/2023

46 CR 10, May 25, 2023, effective 6/14/2023