scholarly journals (P1-21) Medical Disaster Relief after the 2009 American Samoan Tsunami: Lessons Learned

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
pp. s105-s106
Author(s):  
R. Partridge ◽  
D.B. Bouslough ◽  
L. Proano ◽  
S. Soliai-lemusu ◽  
F. Avegalio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
American Samoa ◽  
Flood Damage ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
American Samoan ◽  
Post Disaster

BackgroundTsunamis most commonly occur in the “Ring of fire” in the Pacific due to frequency of earthquakes and volcanic activity. Damaging tsunamis occur 1–2 times yearly. On September 29, 2009, an earthquake on the Pacific floor caused a tsunami that struck American Samoa, Samoa and Tonga, with only 20 minutes warning.ObjectiveTo evaluate the disaster response in American Samoa by emergency medical services (EMS), the territorial hospital, and the Department of Health.MethodsA retrospective review of EMS logs, public health records, hospital emergency department charts, and key-informant interviews over a 2-week period. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate data.ResultsThree 5-meter waves struck the American Samoan islands, with land inundation as far as 700 meters. Many low- lying villages, including the capital city Pago Pago were affected. A total of 33 people (8 male, 23 female, including 3 children) were killed by the water, with approximately 150 significantly injured. EMS runs increased 250% from normal daily averages, with island-wide responses significantly delayed by flood damage. The hospital in Pago Pago, situated near the shore and only 10 meters above sea level, utilized 75 staff to evacuate 68 in-patients to high ground as soon as tremors were felt. This process was completed in 20 minutes with no associated morbidity or mortality. Patient injury patterns for the event are similar to recent literature reports. Mobile clinics and alternate care sites established at outlying dispensaries were used to decentralize healthcare from the hospital. DMAT/DMORT teams from Oregon and Hawaii supported local healthcare initiatives. Post-disaster public health surveillance focused on identifying and limiting food/water-borne illnesses, dengue fever, and influenza-like-illness outbreaks, as well as disaster related PTSD.ConclusionThe disaster response to the tsunami in American Samoa was effective. Disaster planning was appropriate and rapidly implemented. Post-disaster public health emergencies were minimized.

Biodefense and Emergency Use Authorization: Different Originations, Purposes, and Evolutionary Paths of Institutions in the United States and South Korea

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
HyunJung Kim
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Post Exposure Prophylaxis ◽  
Meso Level ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Level Analysis

Abstract Background: Historical institutionalism (HI) determines that institutions have been transformed by a pattern of punctuated evolution due to exogenous shocks. Although scholars frequently emphasize the role of agency - endogenous factors – when it comes to institutional changes, but the HI analytic narratives still remain in the meso-level analysis in the context of structure and agency. This article provides domestic and policy-level accounts of where biodefense institutions of the United States and South Korea come from, seeing through emergency-use-authorization (EUA) policy, and how the EUA policies have evolved by employing the policy-learning concepts through the Event-related Policy Change Model. Results: By employing the Birkland’s model, this article complements the limitation of the meso-level analysis in addressing that the 2001 Amerithrax and the 2015 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak rooted originations and purposes of the biodefense respectively. Since the crisis, a new post-crisis agenda in society contributed to establishing new domestic coalition, which begin to act as endogenous driving forces that institutionalize new biodefense institutions and even reinforce them through path dependent way when the institutions evolved. Therefore, EUA policy cores (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) in the United States and Non-Pharmaceutical Intervention (NPI) in South Korea keep strengthened during the policy revisions. Conclusions: The United States and South Korea have different originations and purposes of biodefense, which are institutions evolving through self-reinforce dependent way based on the lessons learned from past crises. In sum, under the homeland security biodefense institution, the US EUA focuses on the development of specialized, unlicensed PEP in response to public health emergencies; on the other hand, under the disease containment-centric biodefense institution, the Korean EUA is specialized to conduct NPI missions in response to public health emergencies.

AIDS in the Pacific

1988 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 221-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
JT Villagomez
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States Public Health ◽  
Risk Behaviour ◽  
The United States ◽  
American Samoa ◽  
Marshall Islands ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Government

This article summarises current AIDS and HIV infection epidemiology, population risk behaviour factors, local public health and governmental responses to AIDS and cooperative strategic plans for a Pacific “War on AIDS” among the United States Public Health Service and the Pacific jurisdiction public health agencies. The Pacific Island Health Officers Association is comprised of the Republic of Palau, the Government of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, American Samoa and the State of Hawaii.

scholarly journals (P2-43) Utilizing a Unified Health Command Structure for Mass Gathering Preparedness and Response: Lessons Learned from the 2008 Pacific Arts Festival

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
pp. s149-s150
Author(s):  
D.B. Bouslough ◽  
S. Lemusu ◽  
F. Avegalio
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Interpersonal Violence ◽  
Hospital Setting ◽  
Respiratory Illness ◽  
American Samoa ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Surveillance Data ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Mass Gathering ◽  
Arts Festival

BackgroundThe Pacific Arts Festival is a mass-gathering event occurring every four years in Oceania. The 10th festival in American Samoa, July 20 to August 2, 2008, brought 2200 performers and 2500 tourists (a 15% population increase) from 27 Pacific nations to the island. Anticipated healthcare concerns included hospital surge (175% in 2004), HIV/STI transmission, imported/communicable diseases, food/water/sanitation-borne illness, interpersonal violence, and healthcare resource utilization.ObjectiveTo describe the preparedness and response efforts for this mass gathering event by emergency medical services, the hospital, and the department of health.MethodsA retrospective review of after-action reports, public health and emergency department surveillance records, and key-informant interviews was conducted. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate data.ResultsA Unified Command structure was utilized for pre-/post-event response. Patient surveillance data was collected daily. During the festival 217 participants (42% female, 58% male, Average age 36) sought medical care. Acute illness (n = 166), injury (n = 39), other (n = 15), routine follow up (n = 9), chronic conditions (n = 6), mental health (n = 1), OB/GYN (n = 1) were complaints addressed. Predominant acute illnesses included headache (n = 49, 23%), respiratory illness (n = 30, 14%), musculoskeletal pain (n = 26, 12%), and gastroenteritis (n = 17, 8%). One fatality occurred among delegates. No public health outbreaks were reported. Visits per healthcare venue demonstrated a decentralization of patient surge from the hospital setting (37.4% venue aid stations, 28.1% delegation medical staff, 24% DOH clinic, 10.6% hospital).ConclusionA unified health command structure was effective in responding to this mass gathering event. Surveillance data was rapidly gathered and utilized to direct healthcare resources. Efforts to decentralize healthcare from the hospital were successful. Public health emergencies were avoided.

Deploying and using volunteer health practitioners in response to emergencies: Proposed uniform state legislation provides liability protections and workers’ compensation coverage

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michealle Carpenter, JD ◽  
James G. Hodge, Jr, JD, LLM ◽  
Raymond P. Pepe, AB, JD
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Health Practitioner ◽  
Workers Compensation ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Uniform State ◽  
Essential Public Health Services ◽  
Health Practitioners

To respond effectively to natural disasters and other public health emergencies, government resources must be augmented with the resources of volunteer organizations. Governmental actors are prepared to utilize volunteer health practitioners (VHPs) to meet patient surge capacity and provide essential public health services. However, difficult legal challenges arise regarding licensure, the scope of practice of volunteers, the relationship of volunteers to local healthcare delivery systems, disciplinary enforcement, the extent of exposure to civil liability, and how to provide compensation for volunteers injured or killed during disaster response activities. The Uniform Emergency Volunteer Health Practitioner Act (UEVHPA) seeks to address these problems and provide a better legal environment that facilitates VHPs efforts.This article discusses two important provisions of the UEVHPA, Section 11 which provides immunity against claims for negligence, under certain circumstances, for volunteers and organizations engaged in the deployment and use of volunteers, and Section 12 which provides workers’ compensation benefits to VHPs when other sources of coverage are not available. Disaster relief organizations and healthcare provider organizations have consistently identified uncertainty and a lack of uniformity with respect to these issues as a major source of concern to volunteer practitioners and as a potential deterrent to their effective recruitment and utilization. Uniform state enactment of the UEVHPA would resolve many inconsistencies and gaps in the regulation and protection of VHPs across states.

Monitoring the Health of Public Health Responders: Development and Use of the Responder Safety, Tracking, and Resilience System (R-STaR) for Hurricane Matthew

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alezandria K. Turner ◽  
Laura Edison ◽  
Karl Soetebier ◽  
Wendy Smith ◽  
Cherie Drenzek
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
South Carolina ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Mobile Platforms ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
Survey Responses

ABSTRACTOn October 7, 2016, Hurricane Matthew traveled along the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina causing flooding and power outages. The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) developed the Web-based Responder Safety, Tracking, and Resilience (R-STaR) system to monitor the health and safety of public health responders and to inform disaster response planning for Hurricane Matthew. Using R-STaR, responders (n = 126) were e-mailed a daily survey while deployed to document injuries or harmful exposures and a post-deployment survey on their post-deployment health and satisfaction with using R-STaR. DPH epidemiologists contacted responders reporting injuries or exposures to determine the need for medical care. Frequencies were tabulated for quantitative survey responses, and qualitative data were summarized into key themes. Five percent (6/126) of responders reported injuries, and 81% (43/53) found R-STaR easy to use. Suggestions for R-STaR improvement included improving accessibility using mobile platforms and conducting pre-event training of responders on R-STaR. Lessons learned from R-STaR development and evaluation can inform the development and improvement of responder health surveillance systems at other local and state health departments and disaster and emergency response agencies. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:74–81).

Current Crises and Potential Conflicts in Asia and the Pacific: Challenges Facing Global Health or Global Public Health by a Different Name

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 653-667
Author(s):  
Frederick M. Burkle
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Climate Extremes ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Impact

AbstractSince 1945, the reasons for major crises and how the world responds to them have changed every 10-15 years or sooner. Whereas these crises vary greatly across global regions, their economic, environmental, ecological, social, and disease aspects are increasingly under the influence of widely integrated global changes and forces arising primarily from: climate extremes; rapid unsustainable urbanization; critical biodiversity losses; and emergencies of scarcity in water, food, and energy. These slow-moving but increasingly severe crises affect larger populations across many borders and lead to the emergence of increasing population-based, preventable public health emergencies related to water, sanitation, food, shelter, energy, and related health illnesses, and ultimately global health security. This report explores the impact of these crises on Asia and the Pacific region, and their potential for regional conflict.

scholarly journals COVID-19 home remedies and myths becoming a hazardous health infodemic?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Kunguma
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Disaster Management ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
False Information ◽  
Environmental Challenges ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Home Remedies ◽  
The Media ◽  
Pandemic Response

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) brought on several social, economic, political, and environmental challenges. What was mostly questioned was the efficacy of the Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002 (As Amended 16 of 2015) (DMA), which was used to declare COVID-19 a disaster. The concern was whether the DMA is able to deal with pandemics when its focus is mostly on climate-related disasters. Most public health emergencies experience the spread of overwhelming information, some of which may be true and others may be false information. This article discusses the home remedies and myths related to COVID-19, that could impede pandemic response efforts. Subsequently, this study raises a question regarding the effectiveness of DMA to deal with such types of compounding risks. In doing so, this research is exploratory where the DMA and the media articles on COVID-19 home remedies and myths are systematically reviewed. Coronavirus disease 2019 home remedies and myths were found to be hazardous and the DMA was found unprepared to deal with such types of compounding risks. ‘Infodemic management’ needs to be considered in the DMA in order to prepare for effective disaster response.

scholarly journals Methodological and Practical Considerations in Rapid Qualitative Research: Lessons Learned From a Team-Based Global Study During COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 160940692110403
Author(s):  
Michela Luciani ◽  
Patricia H. Strachan ◽  
Alessio Conti ◽  
Lisa Schwartz ◽  
Lydia Kapiriri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Study Design ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Detailed Account ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Global Study ◽  
Methodological Considerations ◽  
Inform Decision Making

Rapid qualitative research (RQR) studies are increasingly employed to inform decision-making in public health emergencies. Despite this trend, there remains a lack of clarity around what these studies actually involve in terms of methodological processes and practical considerations or challenges. Our team conducted a global RQR study during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, we provide a detailed account of our methodological processes and decisions taken related to ethics, study design, and analysis. We describe how we navigated limitations on time and resources. We draw attention to several elements that operated as facilitators to the rapid launch and completion of this study. Rendering methodological considerations and rationales for specific RQR studies explicit and available for consideration by others can contribute to the validity of RQR, support further discussion and development of RQR methods, and make findings for particular studies more credible.

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