Index > Public Health & Medical: Reports
Congressional Testimony on ReadyCommunities Partnership initiatives and Crisis Response Officer
In 2006/2007, the World Health Organization released a report on incorporating midwifery and nursing into disaster situations in the developed and developing worlds. The report found that midwives and nurses play a trusted and integral role in emergency response within disaffected and depressed communities which typically have few resources.
**NB** Some pictures in this report may appear dark because of compression. To download the original report (5.6 Mb) you can visit this link: http://www.iclei.org/documents/USA/download/0709climateGUIDEweb.pdf
This report released by the ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability - addressing the steps all sizes of communities can take to help incorporate changing climate patterns into their overall preparedness and response systems. Topics include possible pandemic, drought, severe storms and emergency response challenges and possible solutions.
This report looks at the current state of first response during mass casualty events and how it relates to children.
This report compiled by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Center for Biodiversity found that civic engagement was the most effective form of pandemic preparedness and mitigation.
Though more than $2 billion in federal funding was given to states between 2003 and 2005 to improve interoperable communications for first responders, there was no adequate program put into place which could monitor and coordinate state-run efforts into a cohesive whole, the report found.
The National Association of EMS Physicians released this position paper to argue for strong state EMS medical directors. In the statement, the NAEMSP said the officials must "provides medical aspects of leadership, oversight, coordination, access to best practices, system quality management, and research to ensure the safest and highest-quality care for patients."
The Hospital Incident Command System was developed in 1992 in Orange County, California and tested by six hospitals as a generic disaster response plan for hospitals and their staffs. Since then it has evolved into a more complex emergency management system used all over the U.S.
The American College of Physicians released this paper to recommend ways to prepare the medical community for pandemic response. In the paper, the ACP supports local task forces and the use of volunteer physicians and health care providers in coordinated, federally-led response efforts on the local level.
The U.S. Fire Administration released these best practices for avian flu pandemic response to help local and state responders understand the complexity and challenges facing communities in the event of an outbreak. Education of the communities is the best safeguard against potential break-downs in the community during a pandemic.
After Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast region, federal, state and local governments as well as community, private, relief organizations and academic institutions asked what are the implications of such a large disaster on the affected communities and the nation as a whole. This Brookings Institute paper handles some of those questions.
The Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act of 2006, also known as BARDA, was introduced to help develop vaccines and medications for potentially dangerous diseases as well as biological pathogens and chemical substances that could be used in a terrorist attack.
During the summer of 2006, the Institutes of Medicine released a series of reports which looked at the nation's emergency rooms' abilities to handle surge capacity and the general state of health of those emergency rooms. The IOM recommended that in order to be prepared to handle large-scale disasters, hospitals must increase their ER capacity.
The Center for American Progress has found that less than fifteen states or cities in the U.S. "have the capability to administer stockpiled vaccines or other drugs on a large scale," and that "20 percent of Americans live in states where hospitals lack the medical equipment necessary when handling a severe health crisis."
The National Strategy for Homeland Security, released in July 2002, outlined the initial move by the federal government to establish a national network dedicated to protecting and preparing the U.S. against the threat of a terrorist attack or a large-scale natural disaster. The creation of the Department of Homeland Security amalgamated more than 22 pre-existing federal agencies under one aegis.
The National Response Plan was released in 2004. It outlines the process and fundamental guidelines for the communication and coordination of federal, state and local emergency management operations. In the words of DHS, the plan "establishes a comprehensive all-hazards approach to enhance the ability of the United States to manage domestic incidents."
During Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma this year, refugees seeking shelter were moved into city stadiums usually used for large sporting events. However, during Hurricane Katrina, it was clear that the facilities were not nearly adequate to handle the influx of people. This report details ways to increase stadium preparedness and crisis mitigation.
The National Governors Association released its flu pandemic preparedness report to help to give state and local governments resources and tools needed to formulate specific pandemic mitigation and preparedness plans as well as to begin to develop alternative methods of quarantining and spread control.
The International Association of Fire Chiefs in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration released a final report in 2006 that looked at hazardous materials response, incident planning and management as well as methods on training departments to handle better emergencies involving hazardous materials.
Trust for America's Health is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that works to assess the nation's ability to respond to medical disasters and disease prevention. The report released looked at the current state of bioterror preparedness in the U.S. five years after the attacks on 9/11.
State medical director role in emergency response.
Evacuation of transportation-disadvantaged populations: GAO report released December 2006.
A Utah State committee to prepare communities for a pandemic.
This guide was written with mass casualty events in mind - it provides information regarding evacuation, surge capacity, response, containment and quarantine methods to help communities develop effective plans for pandemics, terrorist incidents and other MCE's.
International Fire Chief Mutual Aid for integration with the National Incident Management System
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