St. Luke’s Health-Memorial Livingston recently announced its official designation as a StormReady facility by the National Weather Service, following a comprehensive, year-long evaluation process. This significant achievement underscores the hospital’s unwavering commitment to preparedness and safety in the face of severe weather events.
The journey to StormReady certification began with a detailed facility walkthrough and culminated in a thorough review of the hospital’s emergency management policies and weather response protocols. Instrumental in this effort was Alan Poskey, LVN and Orthopedic Program Coordinator, who meticulously compiled the extensive data and documentation required for certification, including the crucial alignment of the hospital’s Emergency Operating Plan with StormReady guidelines.
“It was more than I expected,” Poskey said. “We started it on a whim, then it quickly escalated from there. I figured we were already doing the StormReady criteria, so why not get credit and be certified for it. The big thing is they inspect the facility; they go through and do a detailed review of all of our emergency management policies, our weather policies, and what our overall response to a weather emergency would be.
“I am absolutely confident that St. Luke’s Health-Memorial Livingston is stormready, or Hayley wouldn’t be here with these signs of validation,” he said, referring to Hayley Bailey, StormReady Meteorologist and Fire Weather Analyst, soon to be Incident Meteorologist.
“The process has taken about 18 months from the start of the application, consultations, and meeting the requirements set by the meteorologist and inspections. I knew this day would come. Our team put in too much hard work for it not to happen,” Poskey said.
