scholarly journals Crisis Decision-Making During Hurricane Sandy: An Analysis of Established and Emergent Disaster Response Behaviors in the New York Metro Area

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 436-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Chandler ◽  
David M Abramson ◽  
Benita Panigrahi ◽  
Jeff Schlegelmilch ◽  
Noelle Frye
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
New York ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Situational Awareness ◽  
New York State ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Public Health Staff

AbstractObjectiveThis collective case study examined how and why specific organizational decision-making processes transpired at 2 large suburban county health departments in lower New York State during their response to Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The study also examined the relationships that the agencies developed with other emerging and established organizations within their respective health systems.MethodsIn investigating these themes, the authors conducted in-depth, one-on-one interviews with 30 senior-level public health staff and first responders; reviewed documentation; and moderated 2 focus group discussions with 17 participants.ResultsAlthough a natural hazard such as a hurricane was not an unexpected event for these health departments, they nevertheless confronted a number of unforeseen challenges during the response phase: prolonged loss of power and fuel, limited situational awareness of the depth and breadth of the storm’s impact among disaster-exposed populations, and coordination problems with a number of organizations that emerged in response to the disaster.ConclusionsPublic health staff had few plans or protocols to guide them and often found themselves improvising and problem-solving with new organizations in the context of an overburdened health care system (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:436–442).

scholarly journals New York State Public Health System Response to Hurricane Sandy: Lessons From the Field

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 443-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asante Shipp Hilts ◽  
Stephanie Mack ◽  
Millicent Eidson ◽  
Trang Nguyen ◽  
Guthrie S. Birkhead
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New York ◽  
New York State ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
System Response ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Public Health Preparedness ◽  
York State

AbstractObjectiveThe aim of this study was to conduct interviews with public health staff who responded to Hurricane Sandy and to analyze their feedback to assess response strengths and challenges and recommend improvements for future disaster preparedness and response.MethodsQualitative analysis was conducted of information from individual confidential interviews with 35 staff from 3 local health departments in New York State (NYS) impacted by Hurricane Sandy and the NYS Department of Health. Staff were asked about their experiences during Hurricane Sandy and their recommendations for improvements. Open coding was used to analyze interview transcripts for reoccurring themes, which were labeled as strengths, challenges, or recommendations and then categorized into public health preparedness capabilities.ResultsThe most commonly cited strengths, challenges, and recommendations related to the Hurricane Sandy public health response in NYS were within the emergency operations coordination preparedness capability, which includes the abilities of health department staff to partner among government agencies, coordinate with emergency operation centers, conduct routine conference calls with partners, and manage resources.ConclusionsHealth departments should ensure that emergency planning includes protocols to coordinate backup staffing, delineation of services that can be halted during disasters, clear guidelines to coordinate resources across agencies, and training for transitioning into unfamiliar disaster response roles. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:443–453)

New York State Public Health System Response to Hurricane Sandy: An Analysis of Survey Feedback

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 454-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asante Shipp Hilts ◽  
Stephanie Mack ◽  
Yunshu Li ◽  
Millicent Eidson ◽  
Trang Nguyen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New York ◽  
New York State ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
System Response ◽  
York State Department ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Local Health ◽  
York State ◽  
Public Health Staff

AbstractObjectiveThe objective was to provide a broad spectrum of New York State and local public health staff the opportunity to contribute anonymous feedback on their own and their agencies’ preparedness and response to Hurricane Sandy, perceived challenges, and recommendations for preparedness improvement.MethodsIn 2015, 2 years after Hurricane Sandy, public health staff who worked on Hurricane Sandy response were identified and were provided a link to the anonymous survey. Quantitative analyses were used for survey ratings and qualitative content analyses were used for open-ended questions.ResultsSurveys were completed by 129 local health department (LHD) staff in 3 counties heavily impacted by Sandy (Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester) and 69 staff in the New York State Department of Health who supported the LHDs. Staff agreed that their Hurricane Sandy responsibilities were clearly defined and that they had access to adequate information to perform their jobs. Challenges were reported in the operational, communication, service interruptions, and staff categories, with LHD staff also reporting challenges with shelters.ConclusionsNew York local and state public health staff indicated that they were prepared for Hurricane Sandy. However, their feedback identified specific challenges and recommendations that can be addressed to implement improved preparedness and response strategies. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:454–462)

New York State Public Health System Response to Hurricane Sandy: An Analysis of Emergency Reports

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 308-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asante Shipp Hilts ◽  
Stephanie Mack ◽  
Millicent Eidson ◽  
Trang Nguyen ◽  
Guthrie S. Birkhead
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New York ◽  
Health System ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Public Health System ◽  
New York State ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
System Response ◽  
Emergency Operations ◽  
York State

AbstractObjectiveAnalyzing Hurricane Sandy emergency reports to assess the New York State (NYS) public health system response will help inform and improve future disaster preparedness and response.MethodsQualitative analysis of NYS Department of Health (NYSDOH) and Nassau and Suffolk County local health department (LHD) emergency reports was conducted. Three after-action reports and 48 situation reports were reviewed, grouped by key words and sorted into 16 Public Health Preparedness Capabilities. Within each capability, key words were labeled as strengths, challenges, or recommendations.ResultsThe NYSDOH capability most cited as a strength was successful emergency operations coordination, eg, interagency conference calls (27.4% of 1681 strengths). The most cited challenge was environmental health protection, eg, mold and oil spills (28% of 706 challenges). The LHD capability most cited both as a strength (46.7% of 30 strengths) and as a challenge (32.5% of 123 challenges) was emergency operations coordination. Strengths were exemplified by sharing local resources and challenges by insufficient memorandums of understanding for coordination.ConclusionsPost-disaster emergency reports should be systematically reviewed to highlight both successes and areas for improvement. Future studies should prioritize collecting feedback from a wider spectrum of public health and service provider staff for planning of preparedness and response activities. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;10:308–313)

Window of Opportunity for New Disease Surveillance: Developing Keyword Lists for Monitoring Mental Health and Injury Through Syndromic Surveillance

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ursula Lauper ◽  
Jian-Hua Chen ◽  
Shao Lin
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
New York ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance ◽  
New York State ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
York State Department ◽  
Free Text ◽  
York State ◽  
The Impact

AbstractStudies have documented the impact that hurricanes have on mental health and injury rates before, during, and after the event. Since timely tracking of these disease patterns is crucial to disaster planning, response, and recovery, syndromic surveillance keyword filters were developed by the New York State Department of Health to study the short- and long-term impacts of Hurricane Sandy. Emergency department syndromic surveillance is recognized as a valuable tool for informing public health activities during and immediately following a disaster. Data typically consist of daily visit reports from hospital emergency departments (EDs) of basic patient data and free-text chief complaints. To develop keyword lists, comparisons were made with existing CDC categories and then integrated with lists from the New York City and New Jersey health departments in a collaborative effort. Two comprehensive lists were developed, each containing multiple subcategories and over 100 keywords for both mental health and injury. The data classifiers using these keywords were used to assess impacts of Sandy on mental health and injuries in New York State. The lists will be validated by comparing the ED chief complaint keyword with the final ICD diagnosis code. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:173–178)

How to Choose? Using the Delphi Method to Develop Consensus Triggers and Indicators for Disaster Response

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 467-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Lis ◽  
Vicki Sakata ◽  
Onora Lien
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Delphi Method ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Situational Awareness ◽  
State Level ◽  
Health State ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Data Elements

AbstractObjectiveTo identify key decisions along the continuum of care (conventional, contingency, and crisis) and the critical triggers and data elements used to inform those decisions concerning public health and health care response during an emergency.MethodsA classic Delphi method, a consensus-building survey technique, was used with clinicians around Washington State to identify regional triggers and indicators. Additionally, using a modified Delphi method, we combined a workshop and single-round survey with panelists from public health (state and local) and health care coalitions to identify consensus state-level triggers and indicators.ResultsIn the clinical survey, 122 of 223 proposed triggers or indicators (43.7%) reached consensus and were deemed important in regional decision-making during a disaster. In the state-level survey, 110 of 140 proposed triggers or indicators (78.6%) reached consensus and were deemed important in state-level decision-making during a disaster.ConclusionsThe identification of consensus triggers and indicators for health care emergency response is crucial in supporting a comprehensive health care situational awareness process. This can inform the creation of standardized questions to ask health care, public health, and other partners to support decision-making during a response. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:467–472)

Quantifying benefits of using health information exchange to support public health STI reporting and treatment in Western New York

2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-47
Author(s):  
Saira N Haque ◽  
Heather Territo ◽  
Robert Bailey ◽  
Barbara Massoudi ◽  
Ross Loomis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New York ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Health Information Exchange ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Transmitted Infection ◽  
Treatment Information ◽  
Public Health Staff ◽  
Time Savings

Objective: To calculate average savings of using health information exchange (HIE) for demographic and treatment requests for chlamydia and gonorrhoea in Western New York, specifically the Erie County Department of Health and its catchment area. Method: We conducted a mixed-method case study. Qualitative methods included interviews, document review, and workflow mapping, which were used as the inputs to identify time savings. Case rates, time savings, and salary averages were used to calculate average savings. Results: The avoided demographic information requests resulted in time and money savings (range of USD$2312–USD$4624 for chlamydia and USD$809–USD$1512 for gonorrhoea) as did avoided treatment requests (range of USD$671–USD$2803 for chlamydia and USD$981–USD$1635 for gonorrhoea). Discussion: HIE supported sexually transmitted infection (STI) treatment by making it easier for public health staff to identify and act upon STI diagnoses. Availability of information online resulted in less reliance on provider offices for demographic and treatment information. Conclusion: Results indicated that using HIE to support treatment and management of STIs can save public health staff time spent on obtaining demographic and treatment information. Other public health departments could use HIE for this and other types of disease surveillance activities. Considering public health needs in HIE development and use can improve efficiency of public health services and enhance effectiveness of activities.

Service decision-making processes at three New York state cooperative public library systems

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 418-432
Author(s):  
Xiaoai Ren
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
New York ◽  
New York State ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
York State ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
And Cluster Analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to look at the organizational structure and service provisions of cooperative public library systems in New York State. The study also seeks to ask questions of how cooperative public library systems decide what services to provide. Design/methodology/approach – Descriptive statistics, factor analysis and cluster analysis were applied on New York State public library systems’ 2008 annual reports to generate quantitative profiles of public library systems and their service transactions. Three cooperative public library systems displaying different service features were purposefully selected for further study of their service decision-making processes. The face-to-face and phone interviews were adopted in the study. Findings – Research findings from this study provide information on specific service variations across cooperative public library systems. The findings also provide differences of service decision-making processes in addition to the factors that might cause these differences. Originality/value – This study adds knowledge of public library systems’ management and organizational structures, therefore fills a knowledge gap on public library systems. It can also serve as the baseline for future studies using newer annual report data and therefore to study the changing roles and services of cooperative public library systems in New York State.

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