Weather Intelligence Enhances Emergency Response at Arkansas Children's Hospital
Applicable Industries
- Agriculture
- Healthcare & Hospitals
Applicable Functions
- Facility Management
Use Cases
- Search & Rescue
- Traffic Monitoring
Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
Arkansas Children’s Inc. is a private nonprofit organization dedicated to caring for Arkansas’ 700,000 children. The organization includes two pediatric hospitals, a pediatric research institute, a Department of Agriculture nutrition center, a philanthropic foundation, a nursery alliance, statewide clinics, and many education and outreach programs. One of its hospitals, Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, is a 336-bed facility that offers the state’s only Level 1 pediatric trauma center and burn center. The organization's facilities are located across the state, in areas that are susceptible to strong, long-track tornadoes that move at high speeds, as well as winter weather and severe thunderstorms.
The Challenge
Arkansas Children’s Inc., a health care system dedicated to caring for Arkansas’ 700,000 children, faced a significant challenge in managing weather-related emergencies. With facilities located across the state, the organization was particularly vulnerable to tornadoes, which consistently ranked among the top 10 threats in their annual hazard vulnerability analysis. Their existing inclement weather plan primarily focused on tornado response, leaving a gap in preparedness for other weather events such as winter storms and severe thunderstorms. The organization also had to be prepared for an influx of patients evacuated from areas impacted by tropical systems. The decision-making process during weather threats, which affected the safety and comfort of patients, families, and employees, required coordination across multiple departments. The emergency management team struggled with predicting the impacts of severe weather, often spending late nights monitoring weather apps and radar for potential threats. The lack of expertise in interpreting and applying weather data from disparate sources was a significant source of stress.
The Solution
To address this challenge, Arkansas Children’s partnered with StormGeo, a weather intelligence and decision guidance solution. StormGeo provides weather forecast data, monitoring, and alerts specific to each location within a health care system. This partnership has delivered a reliable source of weather information to key decision-makers at Arkansas Children’s. The greatest benefit, however, has been the 24/7 access to meteorologists who provide precise information about potential weather threats and their expected impacts. Leveraging the capabilities of StormGeo, the team at Arkansas Children’s rewrote their adverse weather plan, developing a unified response strategy that considers different weather types and risk levels. This strategy maps out coordinated efforts for monitoring, communications, and responding to various threats. Each trigger for action is based on notifications and alerts from StormGeo, and once a trigger is met, the team follows a list of critical actions covering patient and employee safety, infrastructure, utilities, and transportation.
Operational Impact
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