Dispensing Medical Countermeasures for Public Health Emergencies: Workshop Summary

Dispensing Medical Countermeasures for Public Health Emergencies: Workshop Summary Review

On March 3-4, 2008, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Catastrophic Events hosted a workshop titled 'Medical Countermeasures Dispensing'. The overall objective was to discuss a range of solutions to rapidly provide medical countermeasures to protect large numbers of people prior to or during a public health emergency, such as a bioterrorist attack or infectious disease outbreak.The United States is currently unprepared to confront the range of threats it is facing, such as an intentional anthrax release, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), or pandemic influenza, and it must plan aggressively to counteract the threat of these and other future public health emergencies. Countermeasure dispensing must harness all types of imaginative partnerships between public and private institutions, working together in ways tailored to meet individual community needs. This workshop summary highlights the presentations and subsequent discussion that occurred at the workshop.

Public School Emergency Preparedness and Crisis Management Plan

Public School Emergency Preparedness and Crisis Management Plan Review

Written in accordance with the President's 2003 homeland security directive and the Department of Education's guidelines, and in response to the ever-present threats facing our school systems, this book helps schools and institutions develop a comprehensive emergency response plan. This book outlines programs and procedures that can be applied to any school system to address hazard mitigation and prevention, emergency preparedness and response, and recovery and restoration of school functions to an effective learning environment. It describes specific actions and assigns responsibilities and response roles to district and individual school staff emergency teams, cooperating agencies, and community response partners that have agreed to share responsibilities and resources as defined in this plan. This book also outlines, in the event of an emergency involving response by fire and/or law enforcement, the district/school site personnel who should establish an Incident Command System-based response organization in accordance with procedures outlined in the National Incident Management System. In addition, the authors predetermine, to the extent possible, operational procedures across any U.S. school system and cooperating governmental, private, and volunteer agencies for responding to and recovering from any and all types of natural, human, or technology-based emergencies that may occur within school system operations or outside the jurisdiction of the school system but nonetheless cause/could cause collateral impact to school system operations. Contents examine emergency notification and immediate actions; concept of operations, including first key actions, partnering with community agencies, and the initial briefing; crisis management team action checklists; response resources, including personnel, response team partners, emergency evacuation/receiving facilities, and emergency equipment and supplies; emergency response flip charts for principals, teachers, secretaries, and custodians; district incident-specific response protocols, covering 29 scenarios from accidents to weapons situations; and general response procedures for clean up, communications, cost accounting, tracking students and personnel. Appendices include training and exercises, forms, sample communications and letters, examples of status boards, and a stakeholder management plan.

Public Health Preparedness, Emergency Response and the CDC (Public Health in the 21st Century)

Public Health Preparedness, Emergency Response and the CDC (Public Health in the 21st Century) Review

Reports on public health preparedness are an important part of the CDC's (Center for Disease Control) overall focus on demonstrating results, driving program improvements, and increasing accountability for the nation's investment in public health preparedness. This book presents data on preparedness activities taking place at state and local health departments within the United States. States, localities, Congress and other policymakers can use this information to broaden their knowledge about progress and gaps in preparedness activities across their jurisdictions and throughout the nation.

Emergency Public Health: Preparedness and Response

Emergency Public Health: Preparedness and Response Review

As large-scale emergencies continue to pose a threat to U.S. populations at the local, state, and national levels, the public and private sectors are demanding improved public health preparedness, response, and cooperation for such events. Emergency Public Health provides readers with important information and analysis of key public health crises threatening our local, state, and national jurisdictions. As the first text of its kind in the emerging field of emergency public health, it provides a framework for public health professionals, policy makers, first responders, and emergency healthcare providers to plan and implement effective measures to protect the public health of civilian populations during times of emergencies. Written by experts with both emergency healthcare and public health backgrounds, the case-based chapters provide valuable information on the preparedness, response, and mitigation of emergency public health topics. In addition, Emergency Public Health contains timely information of key areas such as public health law and the interactions among government jurisdictions. Each chapter also includes online resources for the reader to pursue additional web-based resources. Each chapter follows a consistent structure to maintain clarity and continuity throughout the text: A. Introduction; B. Historical perspectives; C. Preparedness; D. Response; E. Case study; F. On-line resources

Communicating Emergency Preparedness: Strategies for Creating a Disaster Resilient Public

Communicating Emergency Preparedness: Strategies for Creating a Disaster Resilient Public Review

Recent events worldwide have made disaster preparedness and disaster communication to the public a crucial concern. September 11^th, the Indian Ocean tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and other mega-disasters have highlighted not only a woeful lack of community awareness of vulnerability but also the absence of a clear protocol for what to do as events unfold. The first book dedicated solely to the topic of pre-disaster communication, Communicating Emergency Preparedness: Strategies for Creating a Disaster Resilient Public presents the best ways to inform communities about disaster risk factors, response plans, and emergency procedures without fomenting panic or paranoia.

A public awareness campaign is the critical tool to help communities prepare themselves and to mitigate the human and economic impact of disasters. The authors provide an overview and history of public disaster preparedness education and then proceed to explore risk management and the development of a campaign strategy. They include specific instruction on how those charged with developing these programs can obtain funding from donors, foundations, and government grants.

Real Examples of Successful Programs

The second half of the book features a series of case studies which identify various public awareness campaigns that have been successfully conducted in different communities. The text provides program facts and contact information for those who designed and executed the campaigns to enable communities to model their own efforts based on what has worked in the past.

Recognizing that knowledge is the best defense, this comprehensive, practical resource provides public administration officials, emergency managers, evacuation coordinators, and community leaders at the local and national level with the background and tools needed to plan, design, and carry out effective public disaster preparedness campaigns.

Preparedness and Response to a Rural Mass Casualty Incident: Workshop Summary (Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for a Catastrophic Events)

Preparedness and Response to a Rural Mass Casualty Incident: Workshop Summary (Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for a Catastrophic Events) Review

Problems contacting emergency services and delayed assistance are not unusual when incidents occur in rural areas, and the consequences can be devastating, particularly with mass casualty incidents. The IOM's Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Catastrophic Events held a workshop to examine the current capabilities of emergency response systems and the future opportunities to improve mass casualty response in rural communities.