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Special Needs Shelter Information
The Pasco County Health Department staff’s the Special
Needs Shelters in Pasco County. There are two sites that serve Pasco County; one on the east
side and one on the west.
The West Pasco Special Needs
Shelter will be located at the
Mike Fasano Regional Hurricane Shelter
in Hudson. The East Pasco Special Needs Shelter will be
located at the Wiregrass High School in Wesley Chapel.
2012 Pasco
County Evacuation Map in English PDF 1.12MB
2012 Pasco
County Hurricane Guide in English PDF 1.87MB
2012 Pasco
County Evacuation Map in Spanish PDF 1.12MB
2012 Pasco
County Hurricane Guide in Spanish PDF 1.32MB
Special Needs Shelter Fact Sheet (English) in PDF 305KB
Special
Needs Shelter Fact Sheet (Spanish) in PDF 298KB
Criteria for being
placed in a Special Needs Shelter are listed below:
Definition of A Person with Special Needs and
Special Needs Shelter (SpNS)
Eligibility Guidelines
1)
A person with
special needs is someone, who during periods of evacuation or emergency,
requires sheltering assistance, due to physical impairment, mental
impairment, cognitive impairment, or sensory disabilities, that exceeds the
basic level of care provided at a general population shelter, but does not
require the level of care provided at a skilled medical facility. A person
with special needs is not a person residing in a facility required by state
law to have an evacuation and emergency management plan for natural and
man-made disasters.
2)
Eligibility
guidelines for Special Needs Shelter client may include, but not limited
to:
a)
A person with
a stable medical condition that requires periodic observation, assessment,
and maintenance (i.e. glucose readings, vital signs, ostomy care, urinary
catheter)
b)
A person
requiring periodic wound care assistance (i.e. dressing changes).
c)
A person with
limitations that requires assistance with activities of daily living
d)
A person
requiring and needing assistance with oral, subcutaneous or intramuscular
injectable, or topical medication
e)
A person
requiring minimal assistance with ambulation, position change and transfer
(i.e. able to move more than 100 feet with or without an assistive device)
f)
A person
requiring oxygen that can be manually supplied
g)
A person
medically dependent on uninterrupted electricity for therapies including but
not limited to oxygen, nebulizer, and feeding tubes. Ventilator dependent
persons and persons with multiple special needs requiring a higher level of
care, may need to be referred to a skilled medical facility
h)
A person with
mental or cognitive limitations requiring assistance who is accompanied by
an appropriate fulltime caregiver for the duration of their stay in the
shelter
i)
A person
requiring fulltime care who is accompanied by an appropriate fulltime
caregiver for the duration of their stay in the shelter
j)
A person
whose weight does not exceed the safety weight restrictions of provided
cots.
k)
A person who
can be safely transferred and does not require specialty lifting or
transferring equipment. A person requiring a stretcher to be transported
may need to be referred to a higher skilled medical facility.
3)
Every
reasonable effort shall be made to avoid admitting a person with a known
communicable condition or a condition that requires airborne precautions,
i.e. Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or persons
who require respiratory isolation such as infectious Tuberculosis (TB).
4)
Counties with
special needs shelters with resources that can safely accept a person
exceeding the above criteria may choose to do so.
Special Needs Shelter Guidelines:
Conditions are austere at the shelters; prospective
clients are encouraged to seek shelter in more comfortable and safe places
whenever possible. If you do come be sure you bring all your medications,
special foods (cereal and sandwiches of peanut butter are often the main
menu items.)
Do bring your own oxygen tank.
Please bring supplies to survive for three days. It is
important to know that no showers available at the shelters.
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