Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response

2019 ◽  
pp. 63-92
Author(s):  
Emily Ying Yang Chan
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Environmental Context ◽  
First Century ◽  
Medical Needs ◽  
Response Capacity ◽  
National Boundaries

Emergency preparedness to health risk and disaster response to health needs are essential health protection skills and competencies to protect community health and well-being in times of crisis. Emergencies and extreme events may disrupt the environmental context and destroy essential life- and health-sustaining infrastructure and environmental context. Crisis often renders a health system ineffective to protect a community from health risks and provide for the overwhelming health and medical needs associated with the disruption. In addition, in the twenty-first century, many of the emergencies and disasters transcend national boundaries and require transnational cooperation. Such a response requires global involvement and collaborations to respond effectively and efficiently. Natural disasters (e.g. hurricanes/typhoons), global disease outbreaks of old and emerging infectious diseases, and population displacements as a result of war, famine, or natural disaster often require just the response capacity of more than a single nation.

International Education: A Global Outlook

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Hamburg ◽  
Beatrix A. Hamburg
Keyword(s):  
International Education ◽  
Prior Experience ◽  
Well Being ◽  
First Century ◽  
War And Peace ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The World ◽  
National Boundaries ◽  
Early Human ◽  
Ways Of Life

The world is rapidly moving toward greater interdependency and globalization, driven by technological advances, economic opportunities, and intellectual curiosity. There is more movement across national boundaries than ever before: of people, money, information, ideas, images, and much more. We are embedded among billions of people, mostly strangers, yet we need them and they need us: to make a living; to travel; to cope with widespread problems like infectious diseases and terrorism; to secure the safety of our food, water, and environment; and to protect us physically. So now we humans in virtually every country must of necessity find decent ways to interact with strangers, move beyond stereotypes, and to the extent possible turn strangers into familiar people, even turn potential adversaries into friends. Yet this is a task that goes far beyond the prior experience of humanity. Yes, we have done some of this before, but much less than we will have to do as a practical matter in the twenty first century. In our ancient past, this would have been exceedingly difficult. Among monkeys and apes, a very powerful instigator for harmful aggression is the crowding of strangers in the presence of valued resources. Probably the same was true for our early human ancestors over many millennia. Now we have to learn how to transcend ancient suspicions and biases, learn how to live together with people who are initially strange and perhaps implicitly threatening. To do so, we must widen the horizons of education from childhood onward and learn—in a reasonable sampling process—about other peoples, cultures, ideas, preferences, ways of life. In this process, strangeness can be converted to familiarity, suspicion to fascination. That is why international education bears not only on economic well-being in a world of technoeconomic globalization, but it also bears on the vital issues of war and peace. Americans have typically focused their attention on domestic concerns rather than looking abroad. But this mindset is no longer viable. As the world community continues to become evermore interconnected, U.S. citizens will need to look beyond their shores with an attitude of curiosity and open-mindedness. The same need exists in many nations throughout the world. And this extends to our children.

Special topics in rural health I

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Ying Yang Chan
Keyword(s):  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Rural Health ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Socioeconomic Disparities ◽  
High Population Density ◽  
The Past ◽  
Basic Care

To provide more in-depth background and forward-looking perspective in rural health for readers, this chapter looks into two emerging areas in rural health, namely, natural disasters and climate change. Emergency health responses after disasters include the emergency treatment of injuries, basic care for communicable diseases such as diarrhoea and respiratory infections, surveillance, and emergency preparedness for disease outbreaks, nutritional support, water supplies, and sanitation. Globally, natural disasters have increased during the past two decades. Asia, which is characterized by high population density and wide socioeconomic disparities among its countries, had the highest number of natural disasters in the past three decades. Most of the countries in the region had limited disaster response capacities and for the first decade following the millennium, Asia can be considered as the most disaster-prone continent globally. Specific issues for individual countries are included and discussed in textbox format.

The Uses of Affordable Social Investment

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton Hemerijck
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
First Century ◽  
Paradigm Change ◽  
Social Investment ◽  
Welfare Capitalism ◽  
Methodological Innovation ◽  
Policy Paradigm ◽  
Fiscal Austerity ◽  
Second Use

The final chapter concludes with five contemporary ‘uses’ of social investment, in full recognition of limits underscored by critics. The first ‘use’ of social investment therefore concerns its ‘paradigmatic’ bearings. To what extent does social investment represent a distinct policy paradigm for twenty-first-century welfare capitalism? A second ‘use’ relates to paradigm change, in the sense of theoretical progress inspiring interdisciplinary methodological innovation, in particular with respect to the empirical assessment of well-being ‘returns’ on social investment. The third more practical ‘use’ covers the identification of virtuous social investment policy mixes of ‘stocks’, ‘flows’, and ‘buffers’. The fourth ‘use’ is geographically confined to the European conundrum of overcoming the fiscal austerity to make way for social investment reform, as means to reignite socioeconomic convergence, at least for the Eurozone. The more general final use of social investment bears on the ‘politics of social investment’ in the aftermath of the financial crisis.

scholarly journals “How Do We Actually Do Convergence” for Disaster Resilience? Cases from Australia and the United States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shefali Juneja Lakhina ◽  
Elaina J. Sutley ◽  
Jay Wilson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
First Century ◽  
Urban Resilience ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Systemic Risks ◽  
Work Community ◽  
Research Findings

AbstractIn recent years there has been an increasing emphasis on achieving convergence in disaster research, policy, and programs to reduce disaster losses and enhance social well-being. However, there remain considerable gaps in understanding “how do we actually do convergence?” In this article, we present three case studies from across geographies—New South Wales in Australia, and North Carolina and Oregon in the United States; and sectors of work—community, environmental, and urban resilience, to critically examine what convergence entails and how it can enable diverse disciplines, people, and institutions to reduce vulnerability to systemic risks in the twenty-first century. We identify key successes, challenges, and barriers to convergence. We build on current discussions around the need for convergence research to be problem-focused and solutions-based, by also considering the need to approach convergence as ethic, method, and outcome. We reflect on how convergence can be approached as an ethic that motivates a higher order alignment on “why” we come together; as a method that foregrounds “how” we come together in inclusive ways; and as an outcome that highlights “what” must be done to successfully translate research findings into the policy and public domains.

scholarly journals Responding to unforeseen disasters in a large health system

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan J Hannan ◽  
Margaret K Lundholm ◽  
Dennis Brierton ◽  
Noelle R M Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Health System ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Pharmacy Services ◽  
Efficient System ◽  
Team Members

Abstract Purpose To describe how health systems may respond to sudden changes in operations by leveraging existing resources and to share one organization’s experience responding to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Summary In a health system based in Illinois and Wisconsin, pharmacy services are provided by a single, integrated department responsible for all aspects of pharmaceutical care within the organization. Hospital, retail, ambulatory care, and population health services are all managed under one leadership team. All pertinent ancillary services are also managed within the department, including informatics, supply chain, and drug policy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the pharmacy services leadership has successfully managed volume and capacity challenges by redirecting resources to where they are needed. A disaster response framework based on Federal Emergency Management Agency guidance was put in place, and change management principles were used to rapidly operationalize change. Components of the nimble response have included quickly increasing capacity, thoughtful and timely communication to all team members, strategic decision making with available data, creating an agile pool of labor, and maintaining an efficient system supply chain. Well-being and resilience are emphasized alongside reflection on lessons learned. Some changes made in the urgent response to the pandemic are being considered for long-term implementation. Conclusion Organizations have the potential to respond to almost any situation if they are integrated and teams work together to build flexibility. The keys to success are thoughtful maximization of existing resources and strong communication.

Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response: There’s An App for That

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 486-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Bachmann ◽  
Nathan K. Jamison ◽  
Andrew Martin ◽  
Jose Delgado ◽  
Nicholas E. Kman
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Value Relevance ◽  
Disaster Medicine ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Smartphone Applications ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Emergency Responders ◽  
Lay Public

AbstractIntroductionSmartphone applications (or apps) are becoming increasingly popular with emergency responders and health care providers, as well as the public as a whole. There are thousands of medical apps available for Smartphones and tablet computers, with more added each day. These include apps to view textbooks, guidelines, medication databases, medical calculators, and radiology images.Hypothesis/ProblemWith an ever expanding catalog of apps that relate to disaster medicine, it is hard for both the lay public and responders to know where to turn for effective Smartphone apps. A systematic review of these apps was conducted.MethodsA search of the Apple iTunes store (Version 12; Apple Inc.; Cupertino, California USA) was performed using the following terms obtained from the PubMed Medical Subject Headings Database: Emergency Preparedness, Emergency Responders, Disaster, Disaster Planning, Disaster Medicine, Bioterrorism, Chemical Terrorism, Hazardous Materials (HazMat), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). After excluding any unrelated apps, a working list of apps was formed and categorized based on topics. Apps were grouped based on applicability to responders, the lay public, or regional preparedness, and were then ranked based on iTunes user reviews, value, relevance to audience, and user interface.ResultsThis search revealed 683 applications and was narrowed to 219 based on relevance to the field. After grouping the apps as described above, and subsequently ranking them, the highest quality apps were determined from each group. The Community Emergency Response Teams and FEMA had the best apps for National Disaster Medical System responders. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had high-quality apps for emergency responders in a variety of fields. The National Library of Medicine’s Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders (WISER) app was an excellent app for HazMat responders. The American Red Cross had the most useful apps for natural disasters. Numerous valuable apps for public use, including alert apps, educational apps, and a well-made regional app, were also identified.ConclusionSmartphone applications are fast becoming essential to emergency responders and the lay public. Many high-quality apps existing in various price ranges and serving different populations were identified. This field is changing rapidly and it deserves continued analysis as more apps are developed.BachmannDJ, JamisonNK, MartinA, DelgadoJ, KmanNE. Emergency preparedness and disaster response: there’s an app for that. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2015;30(5):1–5.

scholarly journals Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) related coronavirus in bats

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rong Geng ◽  
Peng Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
First Century ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Human Coronavirus ◽  
Transmission Potential ◽  
Disease Agent ◽  
And Control ◽  
Genomic Similarity

AbstractThree major human coronavirus disease outbreaks, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19), occurred in the twenty-first century and were caused by different coronaviruses (CoVs). All these viruses are considered to have originated from bats and transmitted to humans through intermediate hosts. SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2, disease agent of COVID-19, shared around 80% genomic similarity, and thus belong to SARS-related CoVs. As a natural reservoir of viruses, bats harbor numerous other SARS-related CoVs that could potentially infect humans around the world, causing SARS or COVID-19 like outbreaks in the future. In this review, we summarized the current knowledge of CoVs on geographical distribution, genetic diversity, cross-species transmission potential and possible pathogenesis in humans, aiming for a better understanding of bat SARS-related CoVs in the context of prevention and control.

scholarly journals (P1-54) Healthcare Worker's Perception towards Individual and Institution Disaster Preparedness

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
pp. s116-s116
Author(s):  
G.H. Lim
Keyword(s):  
Family Support ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Response Training ◽  
The Family ◽  
Training Opportunities ◽  
H1n1 Outbreak

Background and AimDisaster and MCI events are occurrences that healthcare institutions must be prepared to respond to at all times. The events of September 11 2001 have rekindled our attention to this aspect of preparedness amongst our healthcare institutions. In Singapore, the SARS experience in 2003 and the recent H1N1 outbreak have thrust emergency preparedness further into the limelight. While priorities had been re-calibrated, we feel that we still lack far behind in our level of preparedness. This study is conducted to understand the perception of our healthcare workers towards their individual and the institution preparedness towards a disaster incident.MethodA questionnaire survey was done for this study for the doctors, nurses and allied health workers in our hospital. Questions measuring perception of disaster preparedness for themselves, their colleagues and that of the institution were asked. This was done using a 5-point likert scale.ResultsThe study was conducted over a 2-month period from 1st August 2010 till 30th September 2010. 1534 healthcare workers participated in the study. 75.3% felt that the institution is ready to respond to a disaster incident; but only 36.4% felt that they were ready. 12.6% had previous experience in disaster response. They were more likely to be ready to respond to future incidents (p = 0.00). Factors that influenced perception of readiness included leadership (p = 0.00), disaster drills (p = 0.02), access to disaster plans (p = 0.04), family support. 80.7% were willing to participate in future disaster incident response training. 74.5% felt that being able to respond to a disaster incident constitute part of their professional competency. However, only 31% of the respondents agreed that disaster response training was readily available and only 27.8% knew where to go to look for these training opportunities.ConclusionThere is an urgent need to train the healthcare workers to enhance their capability to respond to a disaster incident. While they have confidence in the institutions capability they were not sure of their own capability. Training opportunities should be made more accessible. We should also do more to harvest the family support that these worker value in order for them to be able to perform their roles in a disaster incident.

“It’s better I’m dead”: oppression and suicidal ideation

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Reber
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Host Country ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Environmental Context ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Temporary Migrant ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
First Time

Purpose Anecdotal accounts of suicide among temporary low-wage migrant workers in the UAE are numerous, but unofficial and qualitative accounts remain unexplored. This study aims to examine how the socio-environmental context can lead some low-wage migrants, irrespective of their nationality or culture, to contemplate suicide for the first time after arriving in the host country. Design/methodology/approach The findings draw from ten months of qualitative fieldwork (2015–2016) and in-depth interviews conducted with 44 temporary migrant workers from sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, earning in the lowest wage bracket in Dubai. The study used a non-probabilistic, purposive sampling approach to select participants. Three criteria drove eligibility: participants had to reside in the UAE, be non-national and earn Dh1500 (US$408) or less a month. Otherwise, diversity was sought in regard to nationality, occupation and employer. Findings Eight (18%) of the 44 study participants interviewed admitted to engaging in suicidal thoughts for the first time after arriving in the UAE. The findings suggest that for low-wage migrants working in certain socio-environmental contexts, the religious, gendered or other cultural or group characteristics or patterns that may be predictors of suicide in migrants’ country of origin may become secondary or possibly even irrelevant when one is forced to survive under conditions that by most objective standards would be deemed not only oppressive but extremely exploitative and abusive. Originality/value This study contributes to understandings of how the emotional and psychological well-being of temporary foreign low-wage migrant workers can be impacted by the socio-environmental context of the host country. It is a first step in understanding the intimate thoughts of low-wage migrant workers on the topic of suicidality, furthering our understanding of suicidal ideation and the factors that can contribute to it.

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