Disaster/Mass Casualty Communications
HIPAA does not make provisions for releasing patient information to the public in the case of mass casualty events. It does allow University Community Health to provide limited information to an authorized agency (i.e., law enforcement or Red Cross) for disaster relief for the purpose of notifying family members or significant others of the individuals’ locations and general conditions.

In extraordinary situations, such as disasters, the public may benefit from the release of general information when specific information is not yet releasable. For example, a spokesperson may say, "Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital is treating four individuals as a result of the explosion." The University Community Health spokesperson may state the number of patients who have been brought to the facility by gender or by age group (adults, children, teenagers, etc.). This type of general information may help reduce undue anxiety. All public information will be issued through a designated spokesperson.

In certain situations, there will be a designated area of the hospital for media to receive regular updates on the situation.