Kwame Kilpatrick: An American Autopsy

Natural disasters may lead to many ethical challenges that are different from normal medical practices. Disasters can vary when comparing to their time, place and extent. Therefore, ethical questions may not always have such simple solutions. Ethical values and principles in every aspect of health-care are very important. Reviewing legal and organizational regulations, developing health-care related guidelines, and disaster recovery plans, establishing on-call committees as well as an adequate in-service training of health-care workers for ethical capability are of the most important of steps. It is only by making efforts before disasters, that ethical challenges can be minimized in disaster responses.

In the event of a disaster, the community relies upon the public health personnel to evaluate the needs of the community, assess the available resources, provide reliable information, and coordinate health activities. It is essential that local health workers are trained professionals who are reassuring and organized to address health, social, cultural and material concerns of the community. Local health personnel coordinate social services, transportation, available health services, volunteers, outside assistance, public utilities and rescue work (HELP, 1989).

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.

Local protective measure planning equips first responders with the knowledge needed to organize efficient response results in the event of an emergency. Structured open dialogue between local emergency jurisdictions enables responders to delegate the appropriate individuals and equipment resources to the impacted local areas requiring the most aid following a terror event. By establishing a streamlined communication framework, local emergency responders can collaborate their efforts and resources to promote collective well-being. When a local emergency plan specifies what responders and resources belong where and at what time, response overlap and shortages can be avoided. Unionized response action established prior to a terrorist incident, serves to mitigate the risks, hazards and threat of injury or harm the people and property of the US face when a terrorism event occurs. Furthermore, a structured local emergency operations plan for a hazardous materials incident involving a terrorist is imperative to public health and safety, as the blueprint outlines protective measures the public can follow to minimize their exposure to dangerous substances. The people of a community affected by a terror event can be warned and notified of the event’s associated dangerous materials, which threaten their well-being, through a variety of methods such as warning sirens or horns, emergency alert systems, automated

In researching the materials for the assignment, the objectives of week one was prominently required to understand the concept of emergency preparedness; the fundamental concepts include the definitions of environmental health and emergency preparedness and a review of the history of environmental health and emergency preparedness. Furthermore, researching the assignment also gave in insight to how global health is determined by the “Three P's"; and created an avenue for the class to learn about the different positions available in the environmental health

Detroit, many call it the worst place in America, other detroiters like myself call it home. It takes a strong person to be able to withstand all the things going on around you. For those who know it, it’s a place that has many memories that can not be erased, things that most citizens have no recollection of, and secrets the government will never release to the public. Detroit’s truths are only comprehended by a few. The drugs, murder, rape, hospital abuse, and even corruption within the government. Many who are unfortunate enough to bear the weight of Detroit’s burdens have often told stories about their experiences. This, however, is not a review of all those stories but a personal terror.

In the novel, Detroit: An American Autopsy, Charlie LeDuff, a former reporter for The Detroit News and The New York Times, provides a personal account of his experience of returning to his hometown of Detroit after journalistic work in New York and Los Angeles. Detroit has long been a prime example of urban decay: it is a city that presents images of mass unemployment, political corruption, looming bankruptcy, abandoned buildings, and senseless slaughter. It has gone through major economic, political, and demographic decline in the recent decades, with even the city’s notorious and once thriving automobile industry struggling with increasing global competition. Once deemed as “Paris of the Midwest”, LeDuff portrays the city’s lost prosperity

The disaster which hit the Maricopa County in the State of Arizona in September 2014 was a major disaster that necessitated the community preparedness for leading successful response and a prompt recovery. Besides emergency managers, many officials and the private are involved in the processes. Some of these stakeholders are public health, public safety, and municipal officials. Collaboration is needed for getting all those involved in the processes to interact accordingly. This paper addresses the major collaboration strengths between emergency responders, public health, public safety, and municipal officials to deliver accurate response and recovery during the event, the main weaknesses of the collaboration among all those that were involved in the efforts, and recommendations for improving the collaboration between the stakeholders.

Over the years, the National Response Framework (NRF) has evolved to meet the growing need of a more comprehensive and logical approach to a nationwide emergency management strategy. Stemming from the National Response Plan in 2008, it is one of the five frameworks designed to aid in organizing national preparedness activities, the others being Prevention, Protection, Mitigation and Disaster Recovery. The NRF’s main function is to guide how the agencies and communities respond to all types of disasters and emergencies. The framework was designed to be scalable, flexible and adaptable to account for the differing scopes, particulars and complications that arise from these events. Its application can range from grave but local incidents, such

Author Rebecca Katz, a Professor at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, focuses on protecting our health throughout the world when “targeting environmental disasters and preventing diseases.” She mentions the tragedy of 9/11. When 9/11 happened so many hearts were broken, so many lives were taken and the world was just at a complete scare. United States had to take action and protocol to protect the citizens. In order to keep our nation safe, Public Health Preparedness needs and should be followed as a process. I say that because just not the United States but the world needs to know what to do and follow when there are disasters, tragedies’ whether they are little or big. Katz mention, “Citizens will

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) describes the National Planning Frameworks, which contains preparedness missions for the whole community (individuals, families, businesses, all types of community organizations, non-profit groups, media outlets, academies, and all levels of government including state, local, tribal, territorial, and federal partners, (FEMA 2015), as a way to foster a shared understanding of the roles and responsibilities from the first responders to the Federal government and the White House; all of which results in a more secure and resilient nation. It is everyone’s job in a community to ensure preparedness to keep the Nation safe from harm, and resilient when struck by hazards, such as pandemics, natural

Collaboration is a key factor in agencies and officials working together with a central focus on planning. As with the overall planning process, development of enhanced surveillance and epidemiologic protocols requires collaboration among appropriate public health partners (CDC, 2001). Communication is a central theme to avoid error which may be over looked during crisis. There are many

City, state, and federal emergency management personnel across the United States encounter threats and hazards daily. Those threats and hazards can vary in intensity between low and high levels of danger with different severities of impacts on the citizens in affected areas. Sometimes threat and hazards can be detected before they strike. Those early warning periods allow emergency managers to enact preventive measures or prepare responsive plans and resources in order to stop or lessen the impacts of the threats and hazards on the community. In order to assist city and state emergency agencies with creating the foundations to draft, plan, and execute preventive and responsive emergency plans, The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (D.H.S.)

Addressing the proposed Model State Emergency Health Powers Act (MSEHPA) in 2003, the Louisiana State University Law Center concluded that the real problem in addressing bioterrorism is that our public health system is incapable of adequately responding to a bioterrorism threat, just as it is incapable of adequately responding to other public health threats (LSU Program in Law, Science and Public Health, 2003). The LSU Law Center's concern is apparently shared by

Katz, R. (2018). Essentials of public health preparedness and emergency management (1st ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning