Hospitals could be better linked with other community response teams to manage public health emergencies

AbstractIn the fall of 2014, the US was faced with the reality that a deadly, foreign virus had entered its borders. Ebola, a disease thought to be of little threat to the US yet classified as a major bioterrorism agent, became a reality for the American government and its citizens. The introduction of Ebola unveiled many deficiencies in the country’s health care system, international travel policies, and ability to control or restrict the movement of exposed individuals in order to protect the larger population. The need to review and establish legal guidelines and policies to deal with these deficiencies is paramount: the inherent lack of training and education; weaknesses in monitoring, maintenance, and treatment; and the lack of uniform guidelines to isolate international travelers have all demonstrated that the country may not be able to control a larger-scale threat in the future.

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The influence and enlightenment of five public health emergencies on public psychology since new century: A systematic review

International Journal of Social Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/00207640211002222 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 002076402110022

Author(s):

Zhifeng Wang ◽

Dongmei Wang

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Ebola Virus ◽

Psychological Intervention ◽

Virus Disease ◽

H1n1 Influenza ◽

Psychological State ◽

Wild Animals ◽

Post Traumatic Stress ◽

Public Health Emergencies ◽

The People

Background: Since the 21st century, humans have experienced five public health emergencies: the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), type A H1N1 influenza (H1N1), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), Ebola virus disease (EVD), and the new coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19). They caused a large number of casualties and a wider psychological crisis, which might cause severe consequences such as post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide. Aims: To reveal the law of formation of public psychological crisis in public health emergencies, and draw lessons from it. To provide ideas for effectively deal with these psychological crisis problems and fundamentally curbing the occurrence of public health emergencies. Method: Through the method of literature research, ‘public health incidents’, ‘psychological crisis’, ‘mental health’, ‘psychological intervention’, ‘SARS’, ‘H1N1’, ‘MERS’, ‘EVD’, and ‘COVID-19’ were used to search literatures in the databases such as PubMed, Springer, and Sciencedirect, and the literatures were summarized, sorted, and studied. Results: (1) The public health emergencies caused a universal psychological crisis. The main manifestations were depression, compulsion, despair, etc. The people involved mainly include patients, suspected isolated patients, medical staff, and the general public in the epidemic situation. (2) People’s psychological state often experienced stress stage, shock stage, acceptance, and reorganization. Only some susceptible individuals couldn’t complete effective psychological reconstruction, resulting in serious psychological disorders. Individual susceptibility is related to genetic factors, adversity, and traumatic stimuli experienced in early life. Conclusion: To reduce these psychological crisis problems, we should establish and improve the psychological crisis intervention or rescue system of public health emergencies, it was still necessary to live in harmony with nature, get rid of the inappropriate habit of preying on wild animals, in order to prevent the cross-species transmission of the virus between wild animals and humans, and to fundamentally avoid the occurrence of major infectious diseases.

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

Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management ◽

10.1515/jhsem-2020-0079 ◽

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.

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Current State of (Dis)Integration: Public Health and Fusion Centers

Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management ◽

10.1515/jhsem-2018-0076 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Cody Minks ◽

Anke Richter

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Law Enforcement ◽

Information Sharing ◽

Homeland Security ◽

Large Scale ◽

Ad Hoc ◽

Limiting Factor ◽

Fusion Centers ◽

Public Health Emergencies ◽

Public Health Information

AbstractObjectiveResponding to large-scale public health emergencies relies heavily on planning and collaboration between law enforcement and public health officials. This study examines the current level of information sharing and integration between these domains by measuring the inclusion of public health in the law enforcement functions of fusion centers.MethodsSurvey of all fusion centers, with a 29.9% response rate.ResultsOnly one of the 23 responding fusion centers had true public health inclusion, a decrease from research conducted in 2007. Information sharing is primarily limited to information flowing out of the fusion center, with little public health information coming in. Most of the collaboration is done on a personal, informal, ad-hoc basis. There remains a large misunderstanding of roles, capabilities, and regulations by all parties (fusion centers and public health). The majority of the parties appear to be willing to work together, but there but there is no forward momentum to make these desires a reality. Funding and staffing issues seem to be the limiting factor for integration.ConclusionThese problems need to be urgently addressed to increase public health preparedness and enable a decisive and beneficial response to public health emergencies involving a homeland security response.

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