US health final - emergency preparedness Flashcards
Be familiar with the following terms:
Bioterrorism
Department of Homeland Security
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Incident Command System (ICS)
Strategic National Stockpile (SNS)
Definition
An emergency is a sudden, unexpected event requiring immediate action due to a potential threat to health and safety, the environment or property
Categories of disasters
Natural disasters-can be more predictable
Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, tsunami, blizzards, volcanoes
Man-made (technological) disasters-Less predictable
Explosions/blasts, fires, oil spills
Bioterrorism
Bioterrorism
The unlawful release of biological agents or toxins with the intent to intimidate or coerce a government or civilian population to further political or social objectives. Humans, animals, and plants are often targets.”
Disasters
Natural epidemics or pandemics
- May involve a novel, emerging infectious disease, re-emerging disease or a previously controlled disease
Intentional or accidental release of a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear agent
Disasters
All types of disasters can cause injuries, fatalities and loss of resources.
All healthcare facilities are at risk for explosions or fires.
Explosions are often the weapon of choice for terrorists-it has a dramatic impact.
Effect of disasters on health
Health risks after a disaster DO NOT occur at the same time.
Casualties typically occur at the time and place of impact-requiring immediate medical attention
Disease transmission takes longer to develop depending upon the extent of overcrowding and the level of sanitation maintained
Public health concerns for all disasters
Response is similar for disasters:
Search and rescue
Treatment and evacuation of injured
Food, Water, Shelter for survivors
Minimizing environmental hazards
- Sanitation
- Safety
- Transportation
Control of Epidemic/endemic diseases
Sequence of events
preparedness
disaster impact
response and recovery
Preparedness
Involves:
Planning
Procedures and Protocols
Training and exercises
Personnel qualifications and certification
Equipment certification
Preparedness
Public health preparedness for all disasters is the key for a sound public health infrastructure.
Preparedness
Preparedness is critical to the success of disaster prevention and response.
Preparedness involves actions needed to achieve and sustain the level of care that are necessary for a healthcare organization to continuously provide services during and emergency or disaster
Preparedness
Disasters may be unexpected but planning can anticipate some common problems that may arise for a particular emergency.
Remember: The best plans in place may not go according to the plan.
Plans must be FLEXIBLE and easy to change.
Plans must be acceptable to all those involved.
Preparedness
The plan should be widely disseminated to all those involved and be exercised regularly.
The plan should focus on LOCAL response with state and federal agencies only as adjuncts.
Preparedness
Plans can have two approaches:
Agent-specific (only plan for threats most likely to occur in the region- i.e. earthquakes, blizzards)
All-Hazard (Plan for common problems and tasks that occur in a majority of disasters.)
World trade center attacks
9/11/2001
2801 people lost their lives
Problems encountered:
Poor communication led to confusion
Fire and police on different radio frequencies also could not communicate with Emergency Medical Services (EMS) dispatchers
Protection of rescue and cleanup workers from environmental hazards failed
Victim location services were established, shelters for displaced residents were set up
World Trade Center Attacks
“World Trade Center Cough”
- Those who worked at the site had higher levels of exposure
- Some more incapacitated than others
Mental health concerns
- Post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD)
- 3 priorities identified:
—-Crisis intervention for bereaved families, survivors, workers, and general public
—Project Liberty: provided support services for 68 agencies at 120 different sites
—-Augmentation of mental health services
World Trade Center Attacks
Public health response
- Worked with the American Red Cross to staff 10 emergency shelters and to transport medical supplies
Four surveillance systems were put in place:
Rapid assessment of injuries
Hospital needs assessment
Reporting system for injuries among rescue workers
Syndromic surveillance-monitoring symptoms
World trade center Attacks
Changes that occurred from these attacks:
Changes to high rise fire safety codes
Addresses: events requiring full and rapid evacuation, shelter-in-place, partial evacuations, and building relocation
Building’s chief fire safety director would be trained to serve as the incident commander until a higher ranking official took over
Hurricane Katrina
Response was problematic
- Lack of planning for populations with special needs (hospital patients, people without cars)
- Poor communication
—-Lack of clear evacuation until too late
Too little help from outside New Orleans
Racial incidents
Damaged housing, contaminated air in FEMA trailers, displaced large amount of population
Hurricane Katrina
Problems with Katrina:
Poor communication with evacuation orders
100,000 people did not have a means of transportation and were unwilling or unable to evacuate
At first water was clean ocean water but after a couple of days the water turned black and was foul smelling from raw sewage and dead bodies.
No electricity or food
Hurricane Katrina
Superdome:
Set up as a shelter
Many issues with this shelter
Hurricane Katrina
Health Belief Model
Perceived susceptibility: longtime residents felt they had survived many hurricanes in the past
Perceived severity: Residents were confused about the evacuation orders
Barriers to action: financial, logistical, and community. Many felt they did not have enough money for travel expenses and gas
Hurricane Katrina
Housing issues:
Many destroyed
Issues with mold in homes
Temporary trailers had unhealthy levels of formaldehyde
Water wells were contaminated
Hurricane Katrina
Health issues
Many reports of PTSD
Mosquito-borne illnesses
Increase in the number of rodents and snakes
Hurricane Katrina
Lessons learned:
Many did not anticipate or prepare for extensive destruction and prolonged period of recovery
Drills should be conducted and include all critical functions and areas
Anticipate disruptions in communication
Staff may not be able to reach assigned location
Plans in place for backup sites
Incident Command System (ICS)
ICS is the model for the command, control, and coordination of a response to an emergency and provides a means to coordinate the efforts of individual agencies
Incident Commander
This person is responsible for all aspects of an emergency response. Including:
- Developing incident objectives
- Managing all operations
- Managing the application of all resources
- Responsible for all personnel involved in the incident.
This position is always designated and may assign other officers to the other positions.
it is identified before the emergency
