Ever since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the federal government increased funding for emergency preparedness. However, the literature continues to document several areas of weaknesses in public health emergency management by local health departments (LHD). This literature review discusses the role of information technology (IT) for emergency preparedness by LHDs. The focus areas for this revie...

Background & aim: Most of the maternal mortalities are preventable when safe maternal healthcare practices adhere to antenatal care. Lack of birth and emergency preparedness is one of several factors contributing to maternal mortalities. Adequate birth preparedness (BP), as well as emergency, and complication readiness (CR) planning can determine the survival rate of a pregnant woman and her un...

So, we undertook this year-long study – with the guidance of an advisory panel of public health experts – to come up with a series of ten indicators that would help us assess the preparedness of each state. The indicators focused on the status of funding, core infrastructure – such as laboratories and workforce, and “double duty” functions – meaning are the bioterror funds able to bolster readi...

In 2005, Yale University’s Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics sponsored a two-part symposium series, “Ethical Aspects of Avian Influenza Pandemic Preparedness.” Part I took place May 17, 2005, at Horchow Hall at Yale University and focused on issues relating to vaccines, both the science of development and the ethical and policy issues of distribution. Part II, which took place October 20, ...

In the late 1990s, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) was faced with the challenges of a workforce that was not prepared in public health; the impending loss of significant agency expertise, leadership, and institutional knowledge through retirement; the lack of available and accessible training; and continuing state budget cuts. Preparedness for bioterro...

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This document, written collaboratively by members of ACHA’s Emerging Public Health Threats and Emergency Response Coalition and Campus Safety and Violence Coalition, is designed to assist members of the college health community in planning for emergencies using an all-hazards approach. Its perspective is both macro and micro, beginning with a national model of response and drilling down to the ...

Better preparedness for an influenza pandemic mitigates its impact. Many countries have started developing and implementing national influenza pandemic preparedness plans. However, the level of preparedness varies among countries. Developing countries encounter unique and difficult issues and challenges in preparing for a pandemic. Deaths attributable to an influenza pandemic could be substanti...

BACKGROUND The public health system continues its efforts to prepare for bioterrorist events, such as a smallpox outbreak, but may need to call on other health professionals to ensure sufficient capacity to implement preparedness plans. OBJECTIVE The goal was to understand the willingness of primary care physicians to participate in possible smallpox pre- or post-event activities. METHODS A...

Objectives: Since 9/11, Incident Command System (ICS) and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) are relatively new concepts to public health, which typically operates using less hierarchical and more collaborative approaches to organizing staff. This paper describes the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak in San Diego County to explore the use of ICS and EOC in public health emergency response. Methods: T...