Vulnerable populations: Identification and meeting their needs

One of the major difficulties in preparing for and responding to civilian issues after an event, natural or manmade is having a true picture of the potential size of the vulnerable populations. This can be further complicated due to a number of factors including urban density, location of critical health facilities to the population's location, bedroom communities overlapping multiple response jurisdictions either county or state, and rural population disbursement. While many jurisdictions attempt to register their vulnerable populations several barrier exist in its use. These barriers include a potential lack of a standardized definition for vulnerable populations, citizen reticence to register for fear of information being misused or inappropriately shared, and information not being kept current. In Florida, we have developed a methodology that takes a systematic approach to identifying and assessing vulnerable populations. This approach has been categorized into three need areas—people (what are the issues and needs), healthcare system (what is needed to support those at risk), and responder/provider (who is needed, how many, and what do they need to know). This methodology incorporates a standardized set of analysis questions, utilization of standard data sets, and GIS mapping. Additionally, this methodology has been operationalized into the basis of a tactical response plan. We will show the use of vulnerable population data as it pertains to Florida residents, infrastructure issues related to these populations, and the structure for a tactical plan.