You are the administrator of a senior community. It is midnight. You are sound asleep. Your cell phone rings. Never a good thing at midnight. Your midnight supervisor is frantic, can’t stay on topic, and is obviously in distress. After a few minutes, you realize there is an active shooter on your campus. What do you do?

We have all watched in horror as active shooters have taken the lives of young school children, teachers, physicians, and other patients. Our communities MUST be prepared for any situation that places our residents at risk. Are you sure your protocol provides guidance on addressing these situations while protecting your staff and residents?

Hopefully, active shooter is a part of your disaster preparedness plan, your supervisors and staff have been trained and are prepared for anything they might face in this situation. Sadly, healthcare is not immune to people resorting to violence to solve their personal problems, including harming the frail elderly living in senior communities. Don’t be a victim, be prepared, review your active shooter protocol with your QAPI committee, discuss recent situations from news reports, and don’t assume you are protected, make sure! For more guidance, please refer to CMS regulations. Also, please join us on July 19, 2022, at 2:00 pm EST as HealthCap presents a one-hour webinar on Active Shooter, registration is free on our Resource & Education Center. Stay the course, stay well, and stay informed!