The Strategic National Risk Assessment (SNRA) was executed in support of Presidential Policy Directive 8 (PPD-8), which calls for creation of a National Preparedness Goal, a National Preparedness System, and a National Preparedness Report. Specifically, national preparedness is to be based on core capabilities that support ―strengthening the security and resilience of the United States through ...

this paper presents a strategy for using harmony search algorithm in facility layout optimization problems. in this paper an adapted harmony search algorithm is developed for solving facility layout optimization problems. this method finds an optimal facility arrangement in an existing layout. two real-world case studies are employed to demonstrate the efficiency of this model. a comparison is ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Dialysis patients are among the most vulnerable patients during a disaster because they are sensitive to a lapse in treatment. Although thorough preparation could mitigate disaster effects, we hypothesized that dialysis patients' personal and medical disaster preparedness was inadequate. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS This prevalence study surveyed men...

BACKGROUND Alongside providing a knowledge base and practical skills, undergraduate medical education must prepare graduates to immediately begin practice as qualified doctors. A significant challenge is to provide safe learning opportunities that will optimise students' preparedness to start work. This study examined UK graduates' preparedness for clinical practice, and their exposure to real-...

OBJECTIVES Each of the nuclear power plants in the US is encircled by an Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ). Within each EPZ, government officials, utility professionals, emergency managers, and public health practitioners collectively conduct extensive planning, exercises, and outreach to better protect their communities in the event of a nuclear accident. Our objective was to conduct a cross-secti...

Due to the potential for an influenza pandemic, preparedness for infection control in healthcare settings is essential from the standpoint of occupational health for healthcare workers. We conducted questionnaire surveys among Japanese hospitals to assess preparedness at the individual and institutional levels and their inter-relationship. Questionnaires were administered at 7 tertiary hospital...

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, increased funding was provided to federal, state, and local health departments to improve their capacities for terrorism preparedness and emergency response. To evaluate the effect of this funding and to identify priority program areas in Kansas, the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments (KALHD) contracted with the Kansas Health Instit...

In December 2006, Congress passed the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act to improve the nation's public health preparedness and response capabilities. It includes the role of Centers for Public Health Preparedness (CPHPs) to establish a competency-based core curriculum and perform evaluation of impact on newly developed materials. The Heartland Center for Public Health Preparedness (HCPH...

BACKGROUND The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) crisis of 2003 provided a new urgency in China in terms of preparing public health staff to respond effectively to public health emergencies. Although the Chinese Government has already carried out a series of emergency education and training programmes to improve public health staff's capability of emergency preparedness, it remains uncle...