Disaster Planning and Emergency Response

During an emergency such as flood disaster, public health personnel and public health nurse are tasked with different duties to help the victims. The main aim of the public health personnel is to provide health services to people and the community affected by the floods. It is therefore necessary for them to

The most important aspect in managing a disaster situation is preparedness. The simulation Disaster in Franklin County highlights the role of public health personnel, with emphasis on the public health nurse because the nurse is often a first responder to such a disaster. This helps to examine the roles, actions, coping methods, and techniques used by a nurse in a disaster scenario.

Problems resulting from disasters linger for quite some time after the acute phase in a disaster and victims may have issues arise that they were not aware of initially. Community health nurses are often a primary point of contact for many of these situations and must be prepared for various problems. Sometimes, they are called on to simply reassure the victim that they are not alone in the situation and that help will continue to come. When a nurse allows a victim to discuss their concerns, the nurse can quickly expedite referrals to the appropriate area if it is out of their scope of practice. Occasionally, just having the validation and reassurance from a professional instills hope that things will get better soon. In the situation where the

The public health nurse has many resources available to help assist residents after a natural disaster. The priorities after a disaster such as a flood are for providing services in high-risk areas such as adequate and safe water, basic sanitation facilities, liquid and solid waste disposal, shelter, food protection, and personal hygiene. The public health nurse has access to written literature that can be provided to residents who are safe to remain in their homes, which describe food and water safety as well as hygiene measures. If residents are willing to leave an unsafe living environment, the public health nurse is able to locate shelters for temporary safe housing.

Sixth the executive management team must define the procedures that all employees and essential vendors will use during emergency situations. Seventh, the employee training team must define and execute an awareness campaign that properly informs each employee of their role within the DRP/ECP plan and confirm that employee's understanding of their role. Last, the emergency management team’s members must maintain documentation of the DRP/ECP plan including updating when needed, changing the plan to meet organization changes, and recording of observations post plan execution.

In day to day operations, uncertainties do occur. Henceforth it would be important to have a contingent and well detailed disaster preparedness plan and procedures. Healthcare systems, on a day to day basis, are faced with emergencies in form of disasters. As a result, majority of medical centers have well-structured exit plans in the event of a disaster occurring("Hospital Disaster Preparedness: Your Guide to Getting Started - Emergency Preparedness", 2011). However, this essay will aim at interviewing one of the top disaster preparedness staffat the Houston Methodist Hospital. In the interview, I will seek to identify the top three disasters that the Houston Methodist Hospital is prepared for. Similarly, in the interview, I would seek to identify the top lessons learnt from disaster preparedness at the hospitals.As it concludes it would summarize the findings with regards to the interview stated below. Below is an excerpt from the interview to answer the two aforementioned questions.

Propose one example of a nursing intervention related to the disaster from each of the following levels: primary prevention, secondary prevention, and tertiary prevention. Provide innovative examples that have not been discussed by a previous student.

From the perspective of a health care administrator, I will identify, develop, and discuss strategic issues in planning a model by prioritizing issues facing a community when dealing with a natural disaster using the four MAPP assessments that align with the shared community mission. Lastly, I explain how you would promote collaborations among clinical professionals, explain methods that encourage physician leadership in patient care enhancement, and explain quality initiatives that reduce organizational risk and support patient safety.

Whenever a disaster strikes an unsuspecting community, from natural weather events like hurricanes and tornadoes to the manmade catastrophes caused by contamination, local community health nurses become a lifeline for stricken victims, providing medical care, basic sanitation, and nutritional sustenance. While treating the ailments of the sick and dressing the wounds of the injured are the chief priorities for any nursing professional, community health nurses typically administer care within a close-knit population group, and this familiarity often requires the offering of spiritual support as well. The immediate aftermath of any major disaster, whether natural or manmade, is a chaotic time when panic, fear, and uncertainty can easily run rampant, and community health nurses must prepare themselves to handle the nonmedical aspects of assisting patients through their recovery. Setting aside one's personal views on organized religion or faith, alleviating a patient's outward symptoms can only be effective to a certain point when they are grieving for the sudden loss of a loved one, or contemplating an uncertain future after their property and

Nurses must possess an understanding of both global health issues, as well as community health concerns. Working on a behavioral services unit, means that I frequently deal with the homeless or shelter living populations of my city. As nurse I know that this patient population is more susceptible to preventable communicable diseases. I work hard to encourage any patients who either homeless or live in local shelters to take advantage of the hospitals flu and pneumonia vaccines. My effort in this area helps maintain public and personal health, as well as prevent the spread of communicable diseases.

The burden of emergency management has grown great deal in the last few decades. We have seen an increase in natural disasters, a new threat of terrorism on our front door and an increase in manmade disasters. All of these have tested emergency management in a number of cities and towns across the nation. It is not always disasters that present problems for emergency managers. We have to look beyond our traditional view of emergency management of helping us during times of disasters and view what issues they consider may affect their emergency response. Issues that emergency management see that are moving into the critical area are issues of urbanization and hazard exposure, the rising costs of disaster recovery, and low priority of emergency management.

Disasters weather man-made, natural, or technological are ineluctable. Community stakeholders, leaders, and citizens are ultimately culpable for ensuring that a sound disaster preparedness and recovery plan is in place should a calamity materialize. Failure to enact such a plan comes with immeasurable consequences. Over the discourse of this paper, the Banqiao Dam disaster will be examined as a case analysis, to render what preparedness and recovery plans were sanctioned, as well as the scope of the response effort.

He has the Interregional Civil Security Operational Co-ordination Centre (COZ) at his disposal in fulfilling this task.

The role of the community health nurse in a nuclear event includes education of the public, preparation of other medical professionals, and involvement with community officials in the protection of the public. By educating the public on how to protect themselves, the community health nurse lessens the impact of a nuclear meltdown or explosion. Information is power, and by informing the community of how to protect themselves against the possibility of exposure, we give them the tools needed to keep themselves safe. This, then lessens the number of casualties during the chaotic time of the event. Preparing other health professionals and volunteers lessens the impact on the public health nurses

Every year in the United States, disasters, whether catastrophes on a national scale such as the 2006 Hurricane Katrina or more localized disasters like the 2013 Northern Colorado floods devastate communities by taking the lives of hundreds of people, and injuring thousands more. In additional to the emotional and mental toll disasters have on communities and individuals, the total cost of disasters is continuously increasing to an extent that the public has a difficulty comprehending. Nationwide, taxpayers pay billions of dollars annually to help communities, organizations, businesses, and individuals recover from disasters. These monies only partially reflect the true cost of disasters, because additional expenses to private insurance companies and nongovernmental organizations are not reimbursed by tax dollars. The lasting financial, physical and emotional damage inflicted by disasters become all the more tragic with the consideration that many disasters are not only predictable, but are preventable with the foresight of adequate planning and preparedness for disasters. In addition to significant increased potential to save lives and prevent injuries, adequate disaster planning has been shown to save, on average, $4 per every dollar spent on preparedness efforts (National Institute of Building Science Multi-Hazard Mitigation Council 2005).