Hospitals Archives

Responder Fatigue – A Growing Concern

Dan Scherr and Tanya M. Scherr September 18, 2024

Emergencies require immediate action by people trained to extinguish fires, treat injuries, protect the public, and perform other life and safety tasks. Responders who repeatedly encounter high-stress scenarios may face additional life and safety concerns in the form of fatigue. Learn about three types of fatigue and how to combat

AI and 911 Call Systems: A New Ally or a Hidden Risk?

Michael Breslin September 11, 2024

From natural disasters to sophisticated cyberthreats, the risks to public safety are evolving fast. As unexpected events can strike at any moment, the systems designed to protect people – 911 call centers – face unprecedented challenges. Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the landscape by increasing efficiencies and risks. Learn about

Vulnerability and Exploitation – Human Trafficking After Natural Disasters

Benjamin Thomas Greer and Nathan DiPillo August 28, 2024

Disasters inherently come with known and unknown threats. One looming emerging threat is human trafficking because traffickers capitalize on the vulnerability these events create to exploit victims. However, when properly trained, emergency management and disaster responders are uniquely positioned to identify, prevent, and mitigate exploitation before and after an emergency.

Dual-World Tabletop Exercises – Addressing Unmet Infrastructure Needs

Charles (Chuck) L. Manto August 21, 2024

The U.S. critical infrastructure is vulnerable to many forms of cyber and electromagnetic threats. This article presents a new tabletop exercise concept for addressing these ongoing threats to critical infrastructure. Similar to medical research groups that involve treatment and control groups, two exercise groups would work simultaneously on the same

Return on Investments in Public Engagement

June Isaacson Kailes August 14, 2024

Public engagement and participation involve community members in problem-solving, decision-making, and policy development. This article shares some new practices for creating actionable opportunities for key stakeholders to participate in decisions that affect their communities. Result-centered engagement can help protect people with disabilities and other community partners from many adverse impacts

Bridging Preparedness: State Medication Reserves for Pandemics and Beyond

Angie Im August 14, 2024

New human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza have been confirmed in the United States. Although most cases like this do not escalate to pandemic status, it is critical that communities be better prepared than they were for COVID-19. However, one study shows that preparedness gaps may hinder these efforts.

Lessons in Social Media – Preparing Kids and Community Leaders for Disasters

Patricia Frost and Michael Prasad August 7, 2024

Addressing children’s needs during a crisis can be challenging. Leveraging social media to create crisis communication campaigns can be an effective way to boost community outreach efforts and raise awareness of the unique needs children have in disaster planning and response. Successful social media campaigns by governmental and non-governmental organizations

The Key Bridge Collapse – Through the Lens of Community Lifelines

Michael Prasad July 17, 2024

The eight major elements of Community Lifelines use traffic-light-type color-coding to categorize the adverse impact status of a disaster. The article’s author has applied this same system to the recovery efforts following the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, Maryland. Learn how he applied this information-gathering tool to an ongoing recovery

Five Key Domains of Incident Management

Aaron Clark-Ginsberg July 10, 2024

Effective incident management is a set of activities, not policy box-ticking of doctrine that may or may not be followed. A new free toolkit based on five key domains can help incident management teams assess and improve their effectiveness regardless of the incident, incident management team, and policy doctrine members

Jane Doe – Responding to Vulnerable Patients

Catherine L. Feinman June 26, 2024

Despite the prevalence of first responders encountering human trafficking victims, they are not always aware of the signs or proper handling of the situation to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of victims. One paramedic shares his experience with an encounter that provided him lessons to share.

A Modern Take on an Age-Old Biological Weapon

Raphael M. Barishansky June 12, 2024

Reports about North Korea launching balloons filled with fecal matter and propaganda into South Korean territory were intriguing. However, this incident raises public health concerns and the question of whether fecal matter could be utilized in modern times as an effective biological weapon.

Shielding Communities: Public Health Strategies for Natural Hazards

Raphael M. Barishansky and Andrew D. Pickett May 15, 2024

Public health risks are common concerns when natural hazards occur. However, history shows that the increasing frequency of events and growing population sizes have been increasing the scale of events and the needs of affected populations. To mitigate complex public health challenges, personnel across disciplines must plan, coordinate, and develop

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