Hospitals Archives

Hospital Security Planning: Operational & Technological Considerations

Craig DeAtley April 1, 2009

It may be the best designed hospital in the world, but a handsome façade is of little importance if the medical equipment is second-best and/or the doctors, nurses, & other healthcare personnel are not well organized & trained to be the best they can be.

Double the Trouble: H5N1 Plus Cat 3 Complications

Ann Marie Brown and Jeffrey B. Peterson April 1, 2009

A major epidemic to deal with is difficult enough in itself. Toss in a hurricane about to make landfall and the situation becomes impossible. Or it would have been if ServNC, the SMAT IIs, the NCOEMS, CDC, ESAR-VHP, and two FMSS trailers had not been available.

Everyone Must Go: The Anatomy of an Evacuation

Joseph Cahill March 25, 2009

No response, no matter how successful, is ever complete without an honest after-action review, which if properly carried out leads to the extension of successful tactics and discontinuation of the unsuccessful ones. It also allows sharing this information with response partners and other agencies that could use the information to

Pamper and Protect: A Professional’s Guide to Personal-Security Details

Derrick Mayes and Cynthia Ekberg Tsai March 25, 2009

The armed forces protect the nation, the Secret Service protects the president, and gated communities protect the affluent. But who protects the movie stars, the world-class athletes, the company CEOs, and other VIPs?

The EMS Role in Chemical-Release Incidents

Joseph Cahill March 18, 2009

Few if any EMS agencies anywhere in the world are properly equipped to cope with the accidental or intentional release of lethal nerve agents. But there are several ways to keep the death toll low while also protecting the first responders themselves.

NIMS & ICS – A Road Map for U.S. Health Departments

Raphael Barishansky March 11, 2009

Implementation of the guidelines undergirding new national anti-terrorism policies will be a major challenge for state & local health departments. But the end result will be a better coordinated and much more effective national healthcare community.

The Friendly Neighborhood Chemical Weapons Store

Adam Montella March 11, 2009

It doesn’t take much money, time, or a genius IQ to build a clumsy but extremely effective chemical weapon that could kill thousands of people. But a pickup truck would be needed to haul “the makings” from the local warehouse or agricultural combine.

Bioterrorism Exercise: A Taste of the Real Thing

Stephanie Ostrowski and Crystal Castillo March 4, 2009

Food poisoning – whether intentional or accidental – can have lethal consequences. In either case, it is CDC’s job to find out what caused it, what treatments are recommended, and how it can be contained.

Mergers, Volunteerism, and Cost Considerations

Joseph Cahill February 18, 2009

Cut costs the easy way – by merging agencies, using more volunteers, and reducing services. The only problem is that agency employees might be unhappy, taxpayers might revolt, and elected officials might soon be looking for new jobs.

New Focus on Private-Sector Preparedness Standards

Diana Hopkins February 11, 2009

At last! A Federal Register notice asks the nation’s business community to comment on ideas that have been submitted to upgrade the disaster-preparedness capabilities of the U.S. private sector. Read, heed, and proceed – but do it fast.The nation’s private-sector businesses – a generic term that includes not only manufacturers,

Surge Prerequisites: Plans, Practices, Preparations

Theodore Tully February 11, 2009

Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers are aware that surge capabilities have become increasingly important in dealing with mass-casualty incidents. But few really understand that many meanings are encompassed in that one word.

How the NDMS Can Be Made More Effective

Michael Allswede January 28, 2009

The Spirit of Volunteerism is a noble virtue, and has been embraced by millions of Americans. Many of them volunteer once too often, though, creating a difficult dilemma for NDMS and other agencies that have a joint claim on their skills and services.

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