Examining the Facts
Regardless of who is to blame, let it suffice to say that humankind has done a pretty good job of bringing about drastic climate change. Evidence of this includes ever increasing global temperatures, rising sea levels, and the reality that the loss of the Earth's permafrost is occurring. It is best if the big picture implications of these events are discussed elsewhere. What cannot be ignored however, is the fact that the loss of permafrost will cause a decrease in climatic stability. It has been speculated that unstable climate conditions could lead to a rise in the prevalence of natural disasters. The evidence supports this theory as the number of natural disasters has grown tremendously in the past six decades. Although research has not yet proven that climate change is directly linked to a rise in the actual number of natural disasters, NASA scientists seem to agree that global warming could produce more severe weather disasters. Therefore, the question to ask is not will an emergency occur, but rather do healthcare workers have established resources that can be utilized when a natural disaster happens?
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| Reported Natural Disasters- International Disaster Database |
The premier authority at the global level is the World Health Organization (WHO). From a community health standpoint, it will be important in the event of a disaster to establish a safe source of drinking water and reduce the incidence of infection from waste. Providing food for those in a state of emergency will also prove to be a challenge for any relief parties involved. Once disaster does happen, basic needs must be meet if medical treatment is to be effective. The WHO provides free resources to guide the actions of healthcare providers in making decisions during crisis. Besides the WHO, PreventionWeb provides programs intended to improve the ability of healthcare facilities to respond to natural hazards.
At the National Level
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| A patient being evacuated during Hurricane Sandy |
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a comprehensive database of knowledge aimed at public health professionals. They offer a wide variety of online training opportunities which aim to teach effective health monitoring techniques to disaster workers. Additionally they offer the tools to allow local communities to design and implement their own emergency preparation exercises. To prepare for future natural disasters in the United States, the CDC has established 14 Emergency Response Learning Centers nationwide. These centers provide customized training and educational programs for workers involved with any aspect of healthcare.
In the Community
Through the University of Michigan website, groups can request to set up their own emergency drills if they want training pertaining to a certain scenario. They also offer training for emergency responders through the Occupational Safety and Environmental Health (OSEH) department. Emergency plans are in place but it would appear that the procedures necessary to deal with the aftermath of a natural disaster are lacking.
The Wasthenaw County health department offers plenty of opportunities for community members to volunteer and receive advanced training in preparation for possible disaster. Finally, people in the community are encouraged to sign up for the free emergency alert system, to enable citizens to be informed as soon as possible if emergency strikes. In order to become better prepared to respond to a natural disaster, it is recommended that Wasthenaw County plan and implement drills (such as the one shown below) to be performed at area hospitals annually.
Jordan this is a great topic to bring up, particularly in lieu of the recent severe thunderstorms that made their way through a better portion of the midwest leaving many in Washtenaw county without power and even taking the lives of a handful of individuals in both Illinois and Michigan. These events should act as incentive for area healthcare facilities to make sure they have a plan in place should circumstances arise that necessitate emergency preparedness. Another local resource that provides assistance in emergency relief is the local branch of the American Red Cross (ARC). Below I have a link to the Southeastern Michigan Chapter of the Red Cross which gives descriptive detail of their mission as an organization as well as the resources they can provide. I have a good friend working for the ARC of West Michigan and recently he was explaining to me that they have a system of referrals within the organization at the national level meaning they have the ability to quickly recruit employees and volunteers from other states and allocate their resources to areas of greatest need. The ARC could very well be a valuable healthcare resource in the future if we continue to see an increase in natural disasters.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.redcross.org/mi/detroit
Great post Jordan. I really like how you mentioned different levels of management planning from international to national to local resources available. The references you cited are great but I also wanted to add to your post about the resources presented in class. In Ms. Fast's Emergency Preparedness presentation she talked about the online courses on NIMS (http://training.fema.gov) which are great for new nurses. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are also great resources that share national level information for disaster and emergency management. As a new nurses working at a level one trauma center (UMHS) I think it is important for all RNs to have emergency management skills and knowledge. If there was a disaster or emergency in the area, Michigan would get a large amount of patients and would need skilled nurses to step up to help. Preparing now and reviewing the local resources in our area is a great first step.
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