282679
Improved disaster health learning opportunities as learned from case studies of communities recovering after hurricanes irene and sandy
Lauren Walsh, MPH,
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Rockville, MD
Kenneth Schor, DO, MPH,
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Rockville, MD
Brian Altman, PhD,
National Center for Disaster Medicine & Public Health, Rockville, MD
A set of case studies was conducted to better understand the successes and challenges associated with long-term community disaster recovery and to identify opportunities for improved education and training for domestic disaster health workers before and after the event. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants from two Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene- and three Hurricane Sandy-affected locations. Special recruitment focus was given to participants working in one of eight pre-defined health and safety related functional roles, including the emergency manager, public health director, mental health director, hospital emergency operations leader, the chiefs of fire and police, local political leader, and active community organization leaders, but interviews were also conducted with others in the community who play a significant role in recovery. The study revealed community leaders' perceptions of their current community recovery progress, successes and challenges in protecting public health, and education and training needs for pre- and post-disaster communities. It also explored respondents' pre-disaster competency of core disaster health concepts, relationships with other stakeholders in recovery, and hindsight priorities for learning across the health professions.
Learning Areas:
Administration, management, leadership
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Other professions or practice related to public health
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related research
Learning Objectives:
Discuss common challenges in protecting public health encountered by the case study communities in the months following the event and ways in which these challenges can be mitigated.
List at least 3 topics of education, training, and awareness that would facilitate the recovery process and mitigate poor health outcomes in disaster-affected communities.
Keyword(s): Recovery, Community Capacity
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been involved in disaster research and education for the last 5 years. Working under the Principal Investigator, I have been in charge of the design, implementation, and analysis of this project.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
