PUBLIC HEALTH ARCHIVES
Studying Hazardous Material Protective Gear in Action
Terrence K. Cloonan
August 17, 2011
With training programs offered in a “true toxic environment,” the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) offers the perfect environment to test and develop new requirements, guidelines, and procedures for personal protective equipment (PPE). Building user confidence in PPE is yet another opportunity offered to emergency responders at the CDP.
Corporate Support for a Healthcare Facility in Crisis
Craig DeAtley
August 17, 2011
Hospitals and other healthcare facilities are marvelous at handling emergencies, healing the sick, and performing a host of minor and major daily miracles. But who heals the healer? In other words, what happens when the hospital itself is suffering from an explosion, an out-of-control fire, or any other type of
UK Approaches in Disaster Medical Education
James M. Matheson and Robert Stellman
August 17, 2011
In the long history of disaster medicine, it has never been more apparent than now how important it is to collaborate with a wide variety of disciplines and jurisdictions, both nationally and abroad. Responders from around the world can learn a lot from the UK’s expanding disaster medicine education and
Training for Multi-Agency Response Efforts
Jennifer Smither
August 10, 2011
Even successful responses can highlight areas in which improvement is needed in the training of responders, which is one reason – a big one – why the sharing of lessons learned is so important. Enhanced training that includes lessons from real-world situations and events can help responders familiarize themselves with
The New CDC ‘Zombies’ of Emergency Preparedness
Joseph Cahill
August 3, 2011
The immense increase in the use of social media offers many new opportunities to educate the American people on emergency preparedness in general and to move agency messages to a broader target audience. Another result of the much expanded range of information outlets – primarily the Internet – is that
Federal Government Initiatives on Grant Alignment
Clare Helminiak
July 27, 2011
A senior HHS executive, and world-class authority on medical-surge programs and requirements, discusses both the National Health Security Strategy the Whole Community FEMA approach – introduced earlier this year in that agency’s 2011-14 Strategic Plan – mandated to maintain “truly integrated and scalable public health…in an environment of increasingly constrained
Using Grant Data to Improve Communications Interoperability
Nyla Beth Houser and Jessica Lance
July 27, 2011
One of the nation’s highest priorities in emergency preparedness has been, and will continue to be, the creation of vastly improved communications capabilities. Considerable progress has been made to date. But much more is needed, probably accompanied by additional funding at all levels of government: federal, state, and local.
Peer Review of Grant Applications: How to Succeed
Anthony M. Coelho, Jr.
July 20, 2011
Every writer, amateur or professional, wants to be pleased with his or her own “copy.” Every successful writer, though, knows it is much more important to please the readers. And/or the reviewers. And/or the political officials who make the final goo-go budget decisions.
Making Funds Count: Developing a Grant-Making Program
Michele Mindlin
July 20, 2011
There are many paths a community can take in search of a preparedness grant, but only one way to ensure that the search will be successful: Follow the Rules! This means advance planning, consulting, paying meticulous attention to all of the rules and regulations involved, and making sensible decisions every
Federal Domestic Preparedness Funding: Overview and Outlook
Catherine Parker and Bobby Courtney
July 20, 2011
Before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, federal funding for preparedness grants was much lower than it should have been. Then it was increased exponentially. The nation is now better prepared than ever before to deal with mass-casualty incidents – and there are huge fiscal problems ahead. So major cutbacks in grant
Needed From DHS: An Institutional Commitment to Change
Matt Mayer
July 20, 2011
The cities and states seeking grant funds from DHS will be facing an uphill climb for the
foreseeable future. DHS itself could help considerably, though, by clarifying the rules, eliminating
inconsistencies, dropping all pork-barrel considerations, and – most important of all – inviting U.S.
states and cities to become full partners in the
A Three-Question Approach to Grants
Joseph Cahill
July 13, 2011
“Is the Grant a Good Fix?” “What Will It Take to Implement the Grant?” “What Are the Estimated
Continuing Costs of the Project?” Those not-so-easy questions should be asked long before a grant is
requested. The answers may at times be discouraging, but not nearly as discouraging as losing a grant
because the