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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Lauren J. Stockman, Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University, 60 College St., New Haven, CT 06520, Kim T. Nguyen, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT 06510, Mark Fenig, Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale University School of Epidemiology and Public Health, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT 06510, 100 York St, APT 4-D, New Haven, CT 06511, 203-789-6175, lauren.stockman@yale.edu, Scott A Rosenstein, Global Health, Yale University, 10 Edgewood Ave. #2, New Haven, CT 06511, and Esther Lwanga, Global Health, Yale University School of Epidemiology and Public Health, 60 College St, New Haven, CT 06510.
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, spontaneous volunteers from all over the United States with health care backgrounds, such as physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians assistants, public health officials, social workers, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians, sought to provide their services to the victims. The American Red Cross, through its division of Disaster Services, was charged with providing first aid and basic medical triage to disaster victims and supporting the Department of Health and Human Services in providing advanced health care services under the Federal Disaster Response Plan. However, no disaster response agencies had developed comprehensive systems to manage these specialized, spontaneous volunteers outside of the traditional emergency medical systems. Approximately fifteen hundred health care volunteers who called the Red Cross after September 11th to volunteer their expert services had their demographic information input into a database. This study utilized the Red Cross database to assess the availability, qualifications and future volunteering interests of these spontaneous health care volunteers particularly with regard to a mass casualty or weapons of mass destruction (high explosives, nuclear, chemical, biological and radiation) event. A questionnaire was sent to all of these potential volunteers and the results are presented here. The results of this study will assist the Red Cross and other disaster response organizations in designing future disaster policies, practices and response plans in order to more effectively meet the needs of the victims.
Learning Objectives: This presentation will
Keywords: Disasters, EMS/Trauma
Related Web page: www.redcross.org/services/disaster/
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: American Red Cross
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.