What Is The Healthcare And Public Health-Specific Plan

As we move into a new era were a more robust and urgent homeland security program is needed, it is important to talk about how officials are managing all of the risk. There are a multitude of threats; from terrorism, where tactics are all the more unconventional an unpredictable, to climate change, with extreme weather conditions causing severe droughts or other catastrophic storms. The risk accepted by federal officials must be weighed and prioritized in a manner that is conducive to the longevity of the nation but also eliminates political or other personal agenda. To ensure a standardized approach the Department of Homeland Security adopted a risk management. The following will look at defining what risk management is as well as an example of how it is being incorporated within the homeland security enterprise and how doing so is of benefit.

The Quadrennial Homeland Security review suggest six strategic challenges that will drive the overall risk to the nation over the next five years. These six risks include: the terrorist threat; growing cyber threats; biological concerns; nuclear terrorism; transnational criminal organizations; and natural hazards (DHS, 2014). The terrorists threat is, arguably, the most publicized and popular of the six risks the DHS lists. The particular risk is unique in the fact that although it can be planned for and mitigated against by state and local governments, it is primarily a federal responsibility, or at least perceived so by most entities. The DHS itself was established due to the events of September 11th 2001 and it has since been a consistent

This integration of FEMA into the DHS was more than just window dressing because this allowed true integration between other DHS units. Prior to 9/11 and when FEMA was an independent agency, the traditional Emergency Management system focused on four mission areas; preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation (Gerber, 2016). After integrating into DHS, the Emergency Management system focused on the traditional four mission areas and added protection as the fifth mission area (Gerber, 2016). In 2003, these five mission areas were incorporated into Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) – 8 and provided authority for the development of the National Preparedness Goal and, for the first time, defined “first responders” and their role in the early stages of an incident (Office of the Press Secretary, 2003). These are key points in how the Federal Government took a strong leadership role and provided guidance on how public safety entities would prepare and respond to threat incidents in a post-9/11 US.

Every year the United States faces new and different threats and hazards, which can be difficult to identify. The 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, which was released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), laid out what they believe will drive risks to the nation over the next several years. The report pinpointed six calculated challenges- terrorist threats; cyber threats; biological concerns; nuclear terrorism; transnational criminal organizations, and natural hazards- which DHS feels are the most likely to occur (DHS, 2014, pg. 28). In this paper I will discuss each threat in more detail and which of these threats pose the ultimate risks to local communities, and how the communities can utilize their resources to prevent or mitigate these risks.

The private sector plays a major role and has very serious responsibilities within the Homeland Security Enterprise (HSE), since it owns the vast majority of the national critical infrastructures and key resources (CIKR) (Business Executives for National Security, 2007). Moreover, the private sector is able to provide expertise and resources that are necessary to sustain some of the core capabilities, which will help the nation to accomplish the National Preparedness Goal (Department of Homeland Security, 2015). Therefore, the private sector plays a key role in prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery (DHS, 2015).

The ability of the Department of Homeland Security to effectively manage risk is vital to national security. Risk in general, is something that is permanent but because this is known, strategies can be used to mitigate situations as they present themselves. Government managers must manage risk in a complex environment taking into consideration the diverse missions and multiple objectives of public agencies (Hardy, 2014). The role of risk management within the homeland security enterprise was managed by best and worst case scenario planning. This is something that is inevitable as we are faced within a definite variety of threats. One way to grade or rank threats is through worst-case analysis. As this analysis can be used for worst-case scenarios the federal government cannot leave out lower ranking situations (Roberts, 2007). Since the Department of Homeland Security is charged with managing risk within the enterprise, a basic equation is used to help figure out different variables and how they would be affected.

After 9/11, all modes of major transportation were evaluated for vulnerabilities, including the railroads (Kaplan, 2007). Since than, the rail industry has improved but there are still improvements that can be made. A report from Harvard University outlines several risk reduction actives such as changing rail operation, improve tank car design, more effective emergency response, encourage product substitution, and relocating storage or user of hazardous materials (Branscomb, Fagan, Auerswald, Ellis, & Barcham, 2010). While all offer risk reductions, the most important should be an effective emergency response. The report touches on the important of training and having well equipped HAZMAT teams to response but fall short on stressing the important of actual training and exercises (Branscomb, Fagan, Auerswald, Ellis, & Barcham, 2010).

Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources, better known as CIKR, is an umbrella term referring to the assets of the United States essential to the nation’s security, public health and safety, economic vitality, and way of life. Sixteen sectors break down CIKR, chemical, communication, commercial facilities, dams, critical manufacturing, defense industrial base, emergency services, energy, financial, food and agriculture, government, health and public health, information technology, nuclear reactors materials and waste, transportation, and finally water and wastewater system. Food and Agriculture’s sector is built to fed and clothe people beyond the boundaries of the nation. When natural disasters occur the food and

Berwick Hospital System has identified some of the same vulnerabilities with hospitals in Louisiana that experienced Katrina and Rita catastrophes. In order to minimize the damage we might have in the event of environmental catastrophes, I summarized in this memo some potential risks of

The Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) on Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience advances a national unity of effort to strengthen and maintain secure, functioning, and resilient critical infrastructure (The White House Office of the Press Secretary, February 2013). It is imperative for every nation to develop a critical infrastructure protection plan that will provide the essential services to its society. To archive this, a government must be proactive and coordinate its efforts that will reinforce and maintain secure, functioning, and

According to the reading, the private sector’s specific role in achieving the overall objectives of PPD 21 & EO 13636 is through information sharing and active partnership with all entities as part of the national effort. Owners and operators of critical infrastructures must manage and determine effective strategies within their own constructs of operations and assets to make them more secure and resilient. The whole purpose of the PPD 21 and EO 13636 for private sector’s role is creating cross-sector partnerships to improving and filling the gaps for our Nation’s critical infrastructure (physical and cyber) through information sharing and collaboratively develop and implement risk-based standards (Obama, 2013).

It is vital that Allegiant Healthcare establish their business direction and contingency plans before another catastrophic event occurs in the San Francisco area. In this geographical area, it is not a question of “if” another event will occur, but “when” will it occur. However, should the company decide not to take any action, there are ramifications for no action. Without solid and tested business and contingency plans, there is very high probability that injuries or death, business failure, and financial loss would be the result. Additionally, the company would be held liable by the federal government for negligence as required by HIPPA and other regulatory requirements. HIPPA requires that medical facilities have a disaster recovery

Whether a catastrophic incident is naturally occurring or a man-made incident, it is expected that DHS will surge personnel, capabilities, and identify facilities supporting the States. It is understood that a catastrophic incident could threaten the Department’s ability to perform its Primary Mission Essential Functions (PMEFs) or a Component’s Mission Essential Functions (MEFs) due to competing resources and that risk must be

Nearly every community has some sort of community risk, threat, and assessment plan that takes into account one of the six potential risks that are of concern to homeland security. Though each of these plans will likely differ from one another, many communities will have the same types of information in their plans. This essay will look at the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Guide (THIRA), the Community Risk Reduction Planning Guide, as well as FEMA’s National Preparedness plan. Any combination of these guides are a good starting point for every community in America. At top of every communities list as well as the nation is the protection of the critical infrastructure. Loss of infrastructure regardless of how big or small the community is could have very crippling effects on that community.

The Department of Homeland Security released the 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review on June 18, 2014 as required by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and its amendments. This review outlined the current state of preparedness, as well as the future areas of concentration. It also determined six strategic challenges facing the nation: terrorist threat; growing cyber threats; biological concerns as a whole; nuclear terrorism; transnational criminal organizations; and natural hazards. The basic building block of emergency management in the U.S. is the local community. Each step begins here. Threat assessments are completed on the local level. Planning, mitigation, and response are all responsibilities of the local community to support the state and Federal practice using the guidance provided by both.