scholarly journals A Resource Management Tool for Public Health Continuity of Operations During Disasters

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 146-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne M. Turner ◽  
Blaine Reeder ◽  
James C. Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
Formative Evaluation ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
King County ◽  
Laptop Computer ◽  
Continuity Of Operations

AbstractObjectiveWe developed and validated a user-centered information system to support the local planning of public health continuity of operations for the Community Health Services Division, Public Health - Seattle & King County, Washington.MethodsThe Continuity of Operations Data Analysis (CODA) system was designed as a prototype developed using requirements identified through participatory design. CODA uses open-source software that links personnel contact and licensing information with needed skills and clinic locations for 821 employees at 14 public health clinics in Seattle and King County. Using a web-based interface, CODA can visualize locations of personnel in relationship to clinics to assist clinic managers in allocating public health personnel and resources under dynamic conditions.ResultsBased on user input, the CODA prototype was designed as a low-cost, user-friendly system to inventory and manage public health resources. In emergency conditions, the system can run on a stand-alone battery-powered laptop computer. A formative evaluation by managers of multiple public health centers confirmed the prototype design's usefulness. Emergency management administrators also provided positive feedback about the system during a separate demonstration.ConclusionsValidation of the CODA information design prototype by public health managers and emergency management administrators demonstrates the potential usefulness of building a resource management system using open-source technologies and participatory design principles.(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2013;0:1–7)

Accuracy of Medical Examiner’s Assessment for Near–Real-Time Surveillance of Fatal Drug Overdoses, King County, Washington, March 2017–February 2018

2021 ◽  
pp. 003335492110084
Author(s):  
Kirsten Vannice ◽  
Julia Hood ◽  
Nicole Yarid ◽  
Meagan Kay ◽  
Richard Harruff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Positive Predictive Value ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Negative Predictive Value ◽  
Drug Overdose ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Death Certificate ◽  
King County ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Drug Overdoses

Objectives Up-to-date information on the occurrence of drug overdose is critical to guide public health response. The objective of our study was to evaluate a near–real-time fatal drug overdose surveillance system to improve timeliness of drug overdose monitoring. Methods We analyzed data on deaths in the King County (Washington) Medical Examiner’s Office (KCMEO) jurisdiction that occurred during March 1, 2017–February 28, 2018, and that had routine toxicology test results. Medical examiners (MEs) classified probable drug overdoses on the basis of information obtained through the death investigation and autopsy. We calculated sensitivity, positive predictive value, specificity, and negative predictive value of MEs’ classification by using the final death certificate as the gold standard. Results KCMEO investigated 2480 deaths; 1389 underwent routine toxicology testing, and 361 were toxicologically confirmed drug overdoses from opioid, stimulant, or euphoric drugs. Sensitivity of the probable overdose classification was 83%, positive predictive value was 89%, specificity was 96%, and negative predictive value was 94%. Probable overdoses were classified a median of 1 day after the event, whereas the final death certificate confirming an overdose was received by KCMEO an average of 63 days after the event. Conclusions King County MEs’ probable overdose classification provides a near–real-time indicator of fatal drug overdoses, which can guide rapid local public health responses to the drug overdose epidemic.

Opioid Crisis Response and Resilience: Results and Perspectives from a Multi-Agency Tabletop Exercise at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Siedschlag ◽  
Tiangeng Lu ◽  
Andrea Jerković ◽  
Weston Kensinger
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Resource Sharing ◽  
Crisis Response ◽  
Community Response ◽  
First Responder ◽  
Management Agency ◽  
Opioid Crisis ◽  
State And Local

Abstract This article presents and discusses, in the new context of COVID-19, findings from a tabletop exercise on response and resilience in the ongoing opioid crisis in Pennsylvania. The exercise was organized by [identifying information removed] and held at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), in further collaboration with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and with the participation of several additional agencies and institutions. It addressed first-responder and whole-community response and resilience to the ongoing opioid crisis. More than 50 experts participated in the one-day program that involved state and local agencies, first-responder organizations, as well as academia in a discussion about effectuating comprehensive response to overdose incidents. Participant experts represented a wide array of backgrounds, including state and local law enforcement agencies; emergency medical technicians; public health and health care professionals; and scholars from the fields of law, security studies, public policy, and public health, among other relevant areas. Participants addressed specific challenges, including resource sharing among responders; capacity-building for long-term recovery; effective integration of non-traditional partners, such as spontaneous volunteers and donors; and public education and outreach to improve prevention. The exercise aimed to strengthen the whole-community approach to emergency response.

scholarly journals Implementation of a Six-Layer Smart Factory Architecture with Special Focus on Transdisciplinary Engineering Education

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 2944
Author(s):  
Benjamin James Ralph ◽  
Marcel Sorger ◽  
Benjamin Schödinger ◽  
Hans-Jörg Schmölzer ◽  
Karin Hartl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
User Interfaces ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Material Behavior ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Programming Environments ◽  
Metal Processing

Smart factories are an integral element of the manufacturing infrastructure in the context of the fourth industrial revolution. Nevertheless, there is frequently a deficiency of adequate training facilities for future engineering experts in the academic environment. For this reason, this paper describes the development and implementation of two different layer architectures for the metal processing environment. The first architecture is based on low-cost but resilient devices, allowing interested parties to work with mostly open-source interfaces and standard back-end programming environments. Additionally, one proprietary and two open-source graphical user interfaces (GUIs) were developed. Those interfaces can be adapted front-end as well as back-end, ensuring a holistic comprehension of their capabilities and limits. As a result, a six-layer architecture, from digitization to an interactive project management tool, was designed and implemented in the practical workflow at the academic institution. To take the complexity of thermo-mechanical processing in the metal processing field into account, an alternative layer, connected with the thermo-mechanical treatment simulator Gleeble 3800, was designed. This framework is capable of transferring sensor data with high frequency, enabling data collection for the numerical simulation of complex material behavior under high temperature processing. Finally, the possibility of connecting both systems by using open-source software packages is demonstrated.

REMA: A REsource MAnagement tool to improve the performance of vehicular delay-tolerant networks

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 135-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
João A.F.F. Dias ◽  
Joel J.P.C. Rodrigues ◽  
Neeraj Kumar ◽  
Valeriy Korotaev ◽  
Guangjie Han
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Delay Tolerant Networks ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Delay Tolerant

scholarly journals The Engagement of Academic Institutions in Community Disaster Response: A Comparative Analysis

2014 ◽  
Vol 129 (6_suppl4) ◽  
pp. 87-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne L. Dunlop ◽  
Kristi M. Logue ◽  
Alexander P. Isakov
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Space Shuttle ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Mutual Aid ◽  
Academic Institutions ◽  
Incident Command

Objective. Using comparative analysis, we examined the factors that influence the engagement of academic institutions in community disaster response. Methods. We identified colleges and universities located in counties affected by four Federal Emergency Management Agency-declared disasters (Kentucky ice storms, Hurricanes Ike and Gustav, California wildfires, and the Columbia space shuttle disintegration) and performed key informant interviews with officials from public health, emergency management, and academic institutions in those counties. We used a comparative case study approach to explore particular resources provided by academic institutions, processes for engagement, and reasons for engagement or lack thereof in the community disaster response. Results. Academic institutions contribute a broad range of resources to community disaster response. Their involvement and the extent of their engagement is variable and influenced by ( 1) their resources, ( 2) preexisting relationships with public health and emergency management organizations, ( 3) the structure and organizational placement of the school's disaster planning and response office, and ( 4) perceptions of liability and lines of authority. Facilitators of engagement include ( 1) the availability of faculty expertise or special training programs, ( 2) academic staff presence on public health and emergency management planning boards, ( 3) faculty contracts and student practica, ( 4) incident command system or emergency operations training of academic staff, and ( 5) the existence of mutual aid or memoranda of agreements. Conclusion. While a range of relationships exist between academic institutions that engage with public health and emergency management agencies in community disaster response, recurrent win-win themes include co-appointed faculty and staff; field experience opportunities for students; and shared planning and training for academic, public health, and emergency management personnel.

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