A National Assessment of the Status of Planning for Public Health Preparedness for Chemical and Radiological Contaminating Terrorism: CSTE's Findings and Recommendations/Executive Summary

2005 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 357-363
Author(s):  
Mary Lee Dunn ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
The State ◽  
National Assessment ◽  
Public Health Preparedness ◽  
Executive Summary ◽  
Preparedness Planning ◽  
The Status ◽  
Regional Public Health

An association of epidemiologists looks at the state of regional public health preparedness in a time of terrorism in a report that gauges regional readiness. The report examined the status of preparations to deal with chemical and radiological events, and looked at planning gaps, resources, and interagency agreements to coordinate emergency response. The research found inadequate levels of preparedness, planning, and established interagency partnerships and puts forth recommendations to improve the nation's ability to respond.

Postexposure Interventions to Prevent Infection With HBV, HCV, or HIV, and Tetanus in People Wounded During Bombings and Other Mass Casualty Events—United States, 2008: Recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness

2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 150-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louisa E. Chapman ◽  
Ernest E. Sullivent ◽  
Lisa A. Grohskopf ◽  
Elise M. Beltrami ◽  
Joseph F. Perz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Disease Control ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Acute Injury ◽  
Mass Casualties ◽  
Public Health Preparedness ◽  
Mass Casualty Event ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
Centers For Disease Control

ABSTRACTPeople wounded during bombings or other events resulting in mass casualties or in conjunction with the resulting emergency response may be exposed to blood, body fluids, or tissue from other injured people and thus be at risk for bloodborne infections such as hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, human immunodeficiency virus, or tetanus. This report adapts existing general recommendations on the use of immunization and postexposure prophylaxis for tetanus and for occupational and nonoccupational exposures to bloodborne pathogens to the specific situation of a mass casualty event. Decisions regarding the implementation of prophylaxis are complex, and drawing parallels from existing guidelines is difficult. For any prophylactic intervention to be implemented effectively, guidance must be simple, straightforward, and logistically undemanding. Critical review during development of this guidance was provided by representatives of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, and representatives of the acute injury care, trauma, and emergency response medical communities participating in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Terrorism Injuries: Information, Dissemination and Exchange project. The recommendations contained in this report represent the consensus of US federal public health officials and reflect the experience and input of public health officials at all levels of government and the acute injury response community. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2008;2:150–165)

Assessing Regional Public Health Preparedness

2008 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. E15-E22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maggie Jones ◽  
Patrick OʼCarroll ◽  
Jack Thompson ◽  
Luann DʼAmbrosio
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Public Health Preparedness ◽  
Regional Public Health

Impact of Tabletop Exercises on Participants’ Knowledge of and Confidence in Legal Authorities for Infectious Disease Emergencies

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Savoia ◽  
Paul D. Biddinger ◽  
Priscilla Fox ◽  
Donna E. Levin ◽  
Lisa Stone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
The State ◽  
System Level ◽  
Legal Issue ◽  
Fisher Exact Test ◽  
Public Health Preparedness ◽  
Level Of Confidence ◽  
Policies And Procedures ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTObjective: Legal preparedness is a critical component of comprehensive public health preparedness for public health emergencies. The scope of this study was to assess the usefulness of combining didactic sessions with a tabletop exercise as educational tools in legal preparedness, to assess the impact of the exercise on the participants’ level of confidence about the legal preparedness of a public health system, and to identify legal issue areas in need of further improvement.Methods: The exercise scenario and the pre- and postexercise evaluation were designed to assess knowledge gained and level of confidence in declaration of emergencies, isolation and quarantine, restrictions (including curfew) on the movement of people, closure of public places, and mass prophylaxis, and to identify legal preparedness areas most in need of further improvement at the system level. Fisher exact test and paired t test were performed to compare pre- and postexercise results.Results: Our analysis shows that a combination of didactic teaching and experiential learning through a tabletop exercise regarding legal preparedness for infectious disease emergencies can be effective in both imparting perceived knowledge to participants and gathering information about sufficiency of authorities and existence of gaps.Conclusions: The exercise provided a valuable forum to judge the adequacy of legal authorities, policies, and procedures for dealing with pandemic influenza at the state and local levels in Massachusetts. In general, participants were more confident about the availability and sufficiency of legal authorities than they were about policies and procedures for implementing them. Participants were also more likely to report the need for improvement in authorities, policies, and procedures in the private sector and at the local level than at the state level. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2009;3:104–110)

Developing an instrument to measure household radiological emergency preparedness using the Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) methodology: An evidence-informed approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-305
Author(s):  
Rennie W. Ferguson, DrPH, MHS ◽  
Daniel J. Barnett, MD, MPH ◽  
Ryan David Kennedy, PhD ◽  
Tara Kirk Sell, PhD, MA ◽  
Jessica S. Wieder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Survey Instrument ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
Community Assessment ◽  
Radiological Emergency ◽  
Preparedness Planning ◽  
Public Health Emergency Response

Introduction: Community assessments to measure emergency preparedness can inform policies, planning, and communication to the public to improve readiness and response if an emergency was to occur. Public health and emergency management officials need an effective assessment tool to measure community preparedness for a radiological emergency. Methods: The authors created a survey instrument to collect data on household radiological emergency preparedness that could be implemented using the Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) methodology, developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To inform the development of the tool, the authors examined existing CASPER surveys, focusing on identifying best practices for creating a survey instrument, as well as analyzing the results of a survey of radiation preparedness experts and state/local health and emergency management officials. Results: The developed survey tool includes 32 questions covering four domains: communication in an emergency, preparedness planning, physical/behavioral health, and demographics. The instrument captures information related to identified barriers in communicating in a radiological emergency as well as self-reported behaviors that could potentially be influenced through awareness and education.Discussion: Using the proposed survey instrument and following the existing rapid assessment methodology provided by CASPER, public health and emergency management agencies can collect valuable information on the radiation preparedness needs of their communities, which can then be used to improve household readiness for an emergency.

Mapping US Pediatric Hospitals and Subspecialty Critical Care for Public Health Preparedness and Disaster Response, 2008

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary D. Brantley ◽  
Hua Lu ◽  
Wanda D. Barfield ◽  
James B. Holt ◽  
Alcia Williams
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Critical Care ◽  
Pediatric Population ◽  
Pediatric Trauma ◽  
Trauma Centers ◽  
Public Health Preparedness ◽  
Preparedness Planning ◽  
Proximity Analysis ◽  
Pediatric Hospitals ◽  
Level I

ABSTRACTObjective: The objective is to describe by geographic proximity the extent to which the US pediatric population (aged 0-17 years) has access to pediatric and other specialized critical care facilities, and to highlight regional differences in population and critical resource distribution for preparedness planning and utilization during a mass public health disaster.Methods: The analysis focused on pediatric hospitals and pediatric and general medical/surgical hospitals with specialized pediatric critical care capabilities, including pediatric intensive care units (PICU), pediatric cardiac ICUs (PCICU), level I and II trauma and pediatric trauma centers, and general and pediatric burn centers. The proximity analysis uses a geographic information system overlay function: spatial buffers or zones of a defined radius are superimposed on a dasymetric map of the pediatric population. By comparing the population living within the zones to the total population, the proportion of children with access to each type of specialized unit can be estimated. The project was conducted in three steps: preparation of the geospatial layer of the pediatric population using dasymetric mapping methods; preparation of the geospatial layer for each resource zone including the identification, verification, and location of hospital facilities with the target resources; and proximity analysis of the pediatric population within these zones.Results: Nationally, 63.7% of the pediatric population lives within 50 miles of a pediatric hospital; 81.5% lives within 50 miles of a hospital with a PICU; 76.1% lives within 50 miles of a hospital with a PCICU; 80.2% lives within 50 miles of a level I or II trauma center; and 70.8% lives within 50 miles of a burn center. However, state-specific proportions vary from less than 10% to virtually 100%. Restricting the burn and trauma centers to pediatric units only decreases the national proportion to 26.3% for pediatric burn centers and 53.1% for pediatric trauma centers.Conclusions: This geospatial analysis describes the current state of pediatric critical care hospital resources and provides a visual and analytic overview of existing gaps in local pediatric hospital coverage. It also highlights the use of dasymetric mapping as a tool for public health preparedness planning.(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2012;6:117–125)

Integrating authorities and disciplines into the preparedness-planning process: A study of mental health, public health, and emergency management

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 133-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeline Robertson, JD, MD ◽  
Betty Pfefferbaum, MD, JD ◽  
Catherine R. Codispoti, MHA ◽  
Juliann M. Montgomery, MPH
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Barriers To Entry ◽  
Public Health Preparedness ◽  
Preparedness Plan ◽  
Preparedness Planning ◽  
Management Plans

The process of integrating all necessary authorities and disciplines into an organized preparedness plan is complex, and the inclusion of disaster mental health poses specific challenges. The goals of this project were 1) to identify whether state mental health preparedness was included in state public health and emergency management preparedness plans, 2) to document barriers to entry and strategies reportedly used by state authorities in efforts to incorporate reasonable mental health preparedness into existing public health and emergency management preparedness planning, 3) to employ a theory for organizational change to organize and synthesize this information, and 4) to stimulate further discussion and research supporting coordinated preparedness efforts at the state level, particularly those inclusive of mental health. To accomplish these goals we 1) counted the number of state public health preparedness and emergency management plans that either included, mentioned, or omitted a mental health preparedness plan; 2) interviewed key officials from nine representative states for their reports on strategies used in seeking greater inclusion of mental health preparedness in public health and emergency management preparedness planning; and 3) synthesized these results to contribute to the national dialogue on coordinating disaster preparedness, particularly with respect to mental health preparedness. We found that 15 out of 29 publicly available public health preparedness plans (52 percent) included mental health preparedness, and eight of 43 publicly available emergency management plans (18 percent) incorporated mental health. Interviewees reported numerous barriers and strategies, which we cataloged according to a well-accepted eight-step plan for transforming organizations.

scholarly journals Institutional Facilitators and Barriers to Local Public Health Preparedness Planning for Vulnerable and At-Risk Populations

2014 ◽  
Vol 129 (6_suppl4) ◽  
pp. 35-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine A. Bevc ◽  
Matthew C. Simon ◽  
Tanya A. Montoya ◽  
Jennifer A. Horney
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Evaluation Study ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Public Health Preparedness ◽  
Preparedness Planning ◽  
At Risk Populations ◽  
Facilitators And Barriers

Objective. Numerous institutional facilitators and barriers to preparedness planning exist at the local level for vulnerable and at-risk populations. Findings of this evaluation study contribute to ongoing practice-based efforts to improve response services and address public health preparedness planning and training as they relate to vulnerable and at-risk populations. Methods. From January 2012 through June 2013, we conducted a multilevel, mixed-methods evaluation study of the North Carolina Preparedness and Emergency Response Research Center's Vulnerable & At-Risk Populations Resource Guide, an online tool to aid local health departments' (LHDs') preparedness planning efforts. We examined planning practices across multiple local, regional, and state jurisdictions utilizing user data, follow-up surveys, and secondary data. To identify potential incongruities in planning, we compared respondents' reported populations of interest with corresponding census data to determine whether or not there were differences in planning priorities. Results. We used data collected from evaluation surveys to identify key institutional facilitators and barriers associated with planning for at-risk populations, including challenges to conducting assessments and lack of resources. Results identified both barriers within institutional culture and disconnects between planning priorities and evidence-based identification of vulnerable and at-risk populations, including variation in the planning process, partnerships, and perceptions. Conclusions. Our results highlight the important role of LHDs in preparedness planning and the potential implications associated with organizational and bureaucratic impediments to planning implementation. A more in-depth understanding of the relationships among public institutions and the levels of preparedness that contribute to the conditions and processes that generate vulnerability is needed.

A Cross-Sectional Study on China’s Public Health Emergency Personnel’s Field Coping-Capacity: Need, Influencing Factors, and Improvement Options

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-200
Author(s):  
Miaomiao Zhao ◽  
Baohua Liu ◽  
Lan Wang ◽  
Qunhong Wu ◽  
Zheng Kang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Crisis Communication ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
Personal Protection ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Coping Capacity ◽  
Preparedness Planning

ABSTRACTObjective:This study aimed to identify the important capacities that were most urgently needed during emergency response and factors associated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) professionals’ field coping-capacity for public health emergency.Methods:Professional workers (N = 1854) from 40 CDC institutions were chosen using the stratified cluster random sampling method in all 13 municipalities of Heilongjiang Province, China. Descriptive analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used.Results:Of 10 key capacities, the 3 that were most urgently needed during emergency response fieldwork as identified by respondents were crisis communication capacity, personal protection capacity, and laboratory detection capacity. Overall, 38.1% of respondents self-rated as “poor” on their coping-capacity. The logistic regression found that proficiency in emergency preparedness planning, more practical experiences in emergency response, effectiveness in training and drills, a higher education level, and a higher professional position were significantly associated with the individual’s field coping-capacity.Conclusion:This study identified CDC professionals’ most urgent capacity need and the obstructive factors and highlighted the importance of enhancing the capacity in crisis communication, personal protection, and laboratory detection. Intervention should be targeted at sufficient fund, formalized, and effective emergency training and drills, more operational technical guidance, and all-around supervision and evaluation.

Addressing Gaps in Health Care Sector Legal Preparedness for Public Health Emergencies

2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Montrece McNeill Ransom ◽  
Richard A. Goodman ◽  
Anthony D. Moulton
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Legal Issues ◽  
Legal Counsel ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Public Health Preparedness ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Preparedness Planning ◽  
Starting Point

ABSTRACTHealth care providers and their legal counsel play pivotal roles in preparing for and responding to public health emergencies. Lawyers representing hospitals, health systems, and other health care provider components are being called upon to answer complex legal questions regarding public health preparedness issues that most providers have not previously faced. Many of these issues are legal issues with which public health officials should be familiar, and that can serve as a starting point for cross-sector legal preparedness planning involving both the public health and health care communities. This article examines legal issues that health care providers face in preparing for public health emergencies, and steps that providers, their legal counsel, and others can take to address those issues and to strengthen community preparedness. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2008;2:50–56)

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