Source: Martha Derthick, Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, August 2009
Wrapping up a study on the effects of hurricanes Katrina and Rita on America's governments, political scientist Martha Derthick finds that "traditional federalism" won out over the Bush administration's attempt to centralize emergency management.
Source: Save the Children, 2009
Ten years after a relentless assault of unprecedented natural and manmade disasters, a report released today by Save the Children's U.S. Programs reveals that only seven states are meeting crucial minimum standards to ensure that schools and child-care facilities are prepared to respond to the needs of children during a disaster.
Commissioned by Save the Children and conducted by Brown, Berkley and Tucker, the report reviewed four standards in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and found that only seven states -- Arkansas, Maryland, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Alabama and Vermont -- are meeting four key standards.
The four key standards identified by Save the Children include evacuation and relocation, reunification and plans for special needs children at child-care facilities, as well as multi-hazard plans at schools.
See also:
Press release
Source: Andis Robeznieks, Modern Healthcare, June 4, 2009
(subscription required)
Computer simulations can be used to improve U.S. hospital disaster preparations, according to a study in the American Medical Association's Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness journal which modeled a release of poisonous sarin vapor in Manhattan public transportation centers that had the potential to expose some 22,000 people to its harmful effects leading to 178 intensive-care unit admissions. Researchers used population statistics, and plugged in data on the New York City borough's healthcare resources such as available hospital beds, emergency department services, hospital surge capacity, variable exposure effects, and behavioral and psycho-social characteristics to mimic response to an attack. According to the simulation report, "A Novel Approach to Multihazard Modeling and Simulation," (subscription required) implementing disaster plans within 30 minutes compared to two hours diminished mortality and waiting times and reduced the number of patients who were severely affected.
Source: Susan Gooden, Dale Jones, Kasey J. Martin, and Marcus Boyd, State and Local Government Review, Vol. 41 no. 1, May 2009
(subscription required)
From the abstract:
When disaster strikes, some populations (including low-income individuals, the disabled, the elderly, and non-English speakers) may be more vulnerable than others in terms of their capacity to cope during and after an event. Government has an important role to play in reducing these vulnerabilities by promoting social equity in the provision of services. In this study, data from 31 localities across the United States are used to examine whether (and how) county and city governments consider the needs of these vulnerable populations as they develop their emergency operations plans, which guide their response efforts to disasters. The primary findings of content analyses of the plans suggest that local governments tend to give more attention to two of these four groups: the elderly and the disabled. Recommendations for ways in which social equity concerns may be addressed in emergency operations plans are offered.
From the press release:
A federal program designed to help metropolitan public health agencies prepare to deliver essential medicines to the public after a large-scale bioterror attack or natural disease outbreak has succeeded in improving the level of readiness, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
Researchers found that the federal Cities Readiness Initiative, a program active in 72 metropolitan areas, appears to have improved agencies' ability to rapidly and widely dispense life-saving medications and other medical supplies in the event of a large-scale bioterror attack or a naturally occurring infectious disease outbreak.
See also:
- Summary
- Research Brief
Hospitals are the backbone of the healthcare response to common medical disasters (i.e., mass casualty events that occur with relative frequency, overwhelm a single hospital, and require a communitywide health response) and, in particular, to catastrophic emergencies, such as an influenza pandemic or large-scale aerosolized anthrax attack. The need for hospitals to be prepared to respond to disasters has increasingly become a priority for hospital leaders. They have been influenced by events such as the 2001 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina and the increased emphasis placed by accreditation organizations and regulatory agencies on the importance of such disasters.
Key Findings:
- Disaster preparedness of individual hospitals has improved significantly throughout the country since the start of the HPP.
- The emergence of Healthcare Coalitions is creating a foundation for U.S. healthcare preparedness.
- Healthcare planning for catastrophic emergencies is in early stages; progress will require additional assistance and direction at the national level.
- Surge capacity and capability goals, assessment of training, and analysis of performance during actual events and realistic exercises are the most useful indicators for measuring preparedness.
- To prepare the nation to respond to catastrophic emergencies, HHS should provide continued leadership to assist states in their efforts to address the many procedural, ethical, legal, and practical problems posed by a shift to disaster standards and alternate care facilities (ACFs) that is required when demand for care overwhelms available resources.
- Catastrophic emergency preparedness is a national security issue and requires the continued funding of the HPP.
See also:
Executive Summary
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), April 29, 2009
This document provides interim guidance for 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), the EMS system and medical first-responders and will be updated as needed. The information contained in this document is intended to complement existing guidance for healthcare personnel, "Interim Guidance for Infection Control for Care of Patients with Confirmed or Suspected Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection in a Healthcare Setting".
Source: Jessica Zigmond, Modern Healthcare, Vol. 39 no. 14, April 06, 2009
Three years ago, Congress appropriated billions of dollars to HHS for the agency's pandemic influenza plan after animal outbreaks of the extremely pathogenic avian flu virus were discovered in a dozen countries throughout the world. Today, even though scientists say the threat of a pandemic is still very real, the nation's interest in the issue has subsided, and HHS says it does not have the requested resources to fully implement the plan it proposed.
And that leaves the nation's hospitals--already operating under tight budgets--not only with less funding, but also with the decision whether to expend resources preparing for a catastrophic event that might not occur for years.
Source: Lisa Phillips-Morris, American City and County, March 1, 2009
Virtually free services give priority to first responders' emergency calls.
There are very few ways to ensure that emergency communications operate without severe disruptions caused by hurricanes and fire, but the federal government offers low-cost options to keep landlines and wireless channels open to national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) personnel. By registering with the National Communications System (NCS), part of the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Cybersecurity and Communications, emergency responders and government leaders can have priority status on congested land and wireless telephone systems during emergencies.
The Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) gives priority service to more than 210,000 landline users nationwide that maximizes use of all available telephone lines when networks are jammed. Through the service, emergency personnel receive priority processing in the public telephone network during any disaster or emergency.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009
The Centers for Disease Control have unveiled a new website, which "provides all-hazards resources intended for individuals at healthcare facilities tasked with ensuring that their facility is as prepared as possible for an emergency. The healthcare facilities targeted by this page include hospitals, long-term acute and chronic care facilities, outpatient clinics and urgent care facilities, physicians' offices, and pediatric offices and hospitals."
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