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The document emphasizes rapid mobilization of personnel, space, and resources, integration with incident command and emergency operations planning, and activation even before formal FSC procedures when families arrive early. It highlights multidisciplinary collaboration, staff training, exercises, and resource readiness to reduce confusion, misinformation, and emotional distress during the initial operational hours and beyond.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/hospital-family-support-center-considerations-plan-development-and-operations/500658/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/hospital-family-support-center-considerations-plan-development-and-operations/500658.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"OmBimo","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-09","2026-10-03",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":39},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Who should have authority to activate the FSC?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"Activation authority should sit with 24/7 in-house leadership such as the Hospital Incident Commander, Administrator on Call, or House Supervisor. Backup authority should be delegated clearly to prevent delays.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What triggers should activate FSC operations?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Activation should occur with surges of patients or inquiries, mass fatality events, rapid convergence of families, or when requested by the Hospital Command Center or external agencies, while retaining flexibility for non-MCI high-profile events.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"How should the FSC be integrated with the Hospital Command Center?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The FSC should be activated in parallel with the Hospital Command Center and run within the established incident command structure. It should receive direction, staffing, and validated information needed to support operations.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},500658,1791477379,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":39,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},962090893581,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c","Hospital Family Support Center Considerations  \nFamily Support Center (FSC) refers to a designated location and coordinated set of services established by a hospital to support patients’ loved ones, family members, and friends during a mass casualty incident, disaster, or other event resulting in increased demand for information, reunification, and support 1 . FSC operations require the rapid mobilization of personnel, space, and resources to meet the needs of those seeking information about patients or impacted individuals. These events often occur without warning, and a concise, well-developed plan is necessary to ensure a structured, compassionate, and efficient response. The considerations in this document can assist hospitals in developing a new—or evaluating an existing—FSC plan.  \nHistorically, hospitals have incorporated family support and reunification activities within broader “disaster” or “mass casualty incident (MCI)” plans. However, a wide range of incidents—both internal (e.g., fire, infrastructure failure, workplace violence) and external (e.g. , severe weather, transportation accidents, mass violence)—may result in a surge of family members seeking information and assistance. While FSC operations are often closely aligned with MCI response, it is important that planning assumptions, terminology, and resource allocation specifically address family support, reunification, and communication which differ operationally from direct patient care activities.  \nThe FSC plan may be developed as a standalone annex or integrated within the hospital’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) . At a minimum, the EOP should define the incident command structure, identify FSC leadership roles and responsibilities, designate potential locations for FSC operations, outline staffing and resource requirements, and establish strategies for internal coordination, family communication, and public information management.  \nHospitals should anticipate that during a no-notice incident, a significant number of family members, loved ones, and community members may arrive at the facility prior to formal activation of the FSC. As a result, the FSC plan should be activated anytime an MCI is declared. This convergence can create operational challenges related to access control, information management, and emotional distress. FSC planning should therefore be  \n1 Family Support Centers are temporary and facility-based in contrast to Family Assistance Centers which are jurisdictional, are set up later in a response, and have a broader mission set. Transitioning families from FSC to FAC services is important to coordinate with jurisdictional emergency management.  \nmultidisciplinary and include collaboration with internal departments (e.g. , social work, chaplaincy, behavioral health, patient access, security, public affairs, case management) as well as external partners such as law enforcement, emergency management, healthcare coalitions, and community-based organizations.  \nWhile the written plan is essential, successful FSC operations depend heavily on staff training, regular exercises, and resource availability. Effective FSC activation can significantly reduce confusion, misinformation, and emotional distress, thereby improving overall incident management and patient-family experience.  \nThis document provides considerations and key planning questions that hospital staff can use to guide FSC plan development and operations across functional domains. It also includes descriptions and examples of activities that support implementation of those considerations.  \nThe scope of this document is primarily focused on the initial operational period (first operational hours) of an FSC activation, though some considerations extend into sustained operations.  \nFor inquiries, questions, or suggestions for improvement, please contact the Enterprise  \nEmergency Management [team at ](team at  EOC.CORP@HCAHealthcare.com)[ EOC.CORP@HCAHealthcare.com](team at  EOC.CORP@HCAHeal","cbCaihYJrVLtEIPG","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaihYJrVLtEIPG","pdf",540418,28,"English","# 1. Authorities and Activation\n## 1.1 Who has authority to activate the FSC?\n## 1.2 What triggers activation?\n## 1.3 How is the FSC integrated into the Hospital Command Center?\n## 1.4 What is the notification process?","[{\"question\":\"Who should have authority to activate the FSC?\",\"answer\":\"Activation authority should sit with 24/7 in-house leadership such as the Hospital Incident Commander, Administrator on Call, or House Supervisor. Backup authority should be delegated clearly to prevent delays.\"},{\"question\":\"What triggers should activate FSC operations?\",\"answer\":\"Activation should occur with surges of patients or inquiries, mass fatality events, rapid convergence of families, or when requested by the Hospital Command Center or external agencies, while retaining flexibility for non-MCI high-profile events.\"},{\"question\":\"How should the FSC be integrated with the Hospital Command Center?\",\"answer\":\"The FSC should be activated in parallel with the Hospital Command Center and run within the established incident command structure. It should receive direction, staffing, and validated information needed to support operations.\"}]","Hospital Family Support Center Considerations - Plan Development and Operations | PDF",1791013760,71]