Hospitals Archives

Innovations in Healthcare Disaster Management for Veterans

Jessica Wambach Brown January 12, 2016

Although fewer than 40 percent of U.S. veterans receive care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the agency strives to have broad access to reliable medical care during a disaster. The Veterans Emergency Management Evaluation Center and its partners are exploring ways to improve healthcare resilience both inside

Uncertain Impact of Critical Biosecurity Reports

Robert C. Hutchinson January 6, 2016

Although many lessons have been learned from Ebola and other infectious diseases, planning needs are quickly diverted when the previous threat is overshadowed by another emerging or re-emerging disease, or other homeland security threat. However, without adequate prioritization, planning, and preparedness, the nation may be set for failure when the

Overcoming Notification Systems Challenges

William (Bill) Betcher December 23, 2015

Emergency response, information technology, and healthcare communications are three scenarios in which notification systems play a critical role. Recent disasters have demonstrated the benefits of crowdsourcing during response efforts, so notification systems are leveraging this responsiveness through two-way communication technology that can both disseminate and receive information.

The Art of Awareness for Emergency Medical Calls

Seth Komansky and Raphael M. Barishansky December 23, 2015

Civilian responders have successfully acquired many skills that were originally developed by military services. Situational awareness is one such skill that would be beneficial to adapt to the civilian members of the emergency medical services. Maintaining a heightened sense of awareness would help responders stay “in the loop.”

Reimagining Epidemic Communications

Renske Erion, Emily Grubert, Simon Mosbah, Michelle Munyikwa, Biswajit Paul and Christine Tran December 16, 2015

In the first week of December 2015, professionals involved in epidemic preparedness at the national level participated in a forum convened by graduate students from Emerging Leaders in Science and Society (ELISS), a leadership development program hosted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), in Washington, D.C.

Climate Change Presents an Emerging, Dynamic Set of Hazards

Jeffrey Rubin December 9, 2015

Despite ongoing political controversy about climate change, one leading organization released a position statement that supports scientific research on weather extremes, which are some of the visible indicators of a changing climate. Changes in weather and habitats need to be addressed to mitigate the potential negative consequences to health and

Forging New Partnerships for Healthcare Preparedness

Jessica Wambach Brown December 9, 2015

In the first week of December 2015, more than 1,000 professionals in healthcare-related organizations, emergency management agencies, public health departments, emergency medical services (EMS), nongovernmental organizations, and academia met in San Diego, California, to discuss ways to bolster partnerships within and between these disparate groups.

Food for Thought: Emergency Shelters & Food Allergies

Andrew R. Roszak December 9, 2015

When one peanut has the ability to kill, it is necessary to examine the practices and procedures used in public yet confined spaces such as emergency shelters. By following simple steps, emergency managers are able to perform shelter operations while limiting exposure to allergens and contaminants that could turn a

How the Nation Is Failing in Public Health Preparedness

Patrick P. Rose November 17, 2015

As public health funding and staffing continue to decline, communities are left more vulnerable to the next catastrophic public health emergency. The United States is failing in its public health preparedness efforts. The nation’s resilience depends on the government and public health making critical changes to reverse this downward trend.

Public Health’s Role Beyond Biologicals

Audrey Mazurek and Raphael M. Barishansky November 11, 2015

Public health’s role is often synonymous with biological events such as Ebola, H1N1, and SARS, but the field of public health offers many capabilities that are relevant to chemical, radiological, nuclear, and explosive events as well. To leverage these capabilities, a joint effort from the federal, state, and local levels

New Decontamination Resource – Information & Expertise

Craig DeAtley November 11, 2015

A new federal resource equips healthcare providers with a valuable information repository. This resource also offers a way to request technical assistance and provides a forum for peer-to-peer discussions. Decontamination is just one of the many in-depth topics addressed by subject matter experts in the healthcare field.

Rural Idaho – Research Tools & Training Exercises

Darin Letzring October 28, 2015

Although there is no shortage of information, the quality and validity of information varies considerably. Learning how toentify effective information tools and use them to their full potential takes time. However, in ruralaho, information-gathering skills are being taught to help emergency planners and public health professionals to better navigate the

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