A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is a plan developed in advance to ensure that a company or organization’s identified critical operations will not be interrupted in the event of a disaster, or that if they are interrupted, they can be resumed quickly. Nursing care facilities are required by the government to have a BCP in place by FY2024, but many facilities are still struggling to formulate a concrete plan. HuMA has therefore conducted online seminars to support nursing care facilities in formulating their BCPs. In addition, two nurses were dispatched to the social welfare corporation, which had provided assistance in the Noto earthquake and torrential rain disaster, to provide a two-day consultation on BCP formulation.
Upon arrival, the nurses greeted the facility director and deputy director and began the process of reviewing the contents of the BCP.
First, we conducted a risk analysis based on the assumed hazard and the location of the facility according to the model provided by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and proceeded to make additions and revisions to the current BCP while hearing about the current personnel allocation for each work zone. We also interviewed a dietitian about the provision of meals at the time of the earthquake, and learned that it was difficult to prepare mixer meals due to the power outage. Based on this information, we identified electrical appliances that would be needed in the event of a power outage, and calculated the appliances and power requirements that should be supplemented by in-house power generation. We also inspected the stockpile together and provided advice on the required stockpiles of toilets and food, as well as the current number of stockpiles.
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| Start by understanding the current situation |
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| Nurse conducting facility survey |
During the activity, we met again with a resident whom we had assisted during the Okunoto torrential rain disaster, who had gradually become unable to eat. The staff was trying to help them consume as much as possible, for example, by giving them juice to drink. Although it continued to be difficult to fill the staff numbers, we were impressed by the caregivers and nurses who were still providing the same attentive and close care as when we had previously provided support.
Today, we not only formulated a BCP, but also provided assistance with bathing, which we had done during the previous Noto torrential rain support activities. In the evening, we had dinner and renewed old friendships with the people of Horyu Town, where HuMA was involved in the Noto earthquake relief activities.
On the second day, we toured the facility with the deputy director, exchanging views on the identification of department-specific priority tasks and challenges in continuing operations. We also checked the current status of the boiler room, water supply system, refuse collection, sewage treatment tanks, and other facilities.
Today we had another happy reunion. We were reunited with the chief who worked with us to create the manual for the torrential rain disaster relief. He had looked distressed on the first day of support, but now we were able to see his peaceful smile, which was a bit of a relief. We also received a baked sweet potato from a woman who was at the Horyu Elementary and Junior High School evacuation center. Although we were not able to meet her in person, it was heartwarming to know that she remembered HuMA. We are very grateful that more than a year after the Noto earthquake, people still remember HuMA and treat us warmly. We will continue our efforts to weave a good relationship with you.
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| Boilers and portable power supplies were inspected |
This visit was part of our support for the Noto Peninsula torrential rains and was made possible by a warm grant from the Nippon Foundation. We would like to express our sincere gratitude for their generous support in our relief efforts. HuMA will continue to make every effort to support the recovery of the affected areas.