Applying a New Framework for Public Health Systems Recovery following Emergencies and Disasters: The Example of Haiti following a Major Earthquake and Cholera Outbreak.

David L Fitter,Daphnée Benoit Delson,Jean-Luc Poncelet,Richard Gelting,David Lowrance,Florence D Guillaume,Daphne B Moffett,Angela Wood Schaad

doi:10.4269/ajtmh.16-0862

David L Fitter, Daphnée Benoit Delson + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.16-0862

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Abstract

.Emergencies can often directly impact health systems of an affected region or country, especially in resource-constrained areas. Health system recovery following an emergency is a complex and dynamic process. Health system recovery efforts have often been structured around the World Health Organization’s health systems building blocks as demonstrated by the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment. Although this structure is valuable and well known, it can overlook the intricacies of public health systems. We retrospectively examine public health systems recovery, a subset of the larger health system, following the 2010 Haiti earthquake and cholera outbreak, through the lens of the 10 essential public health services. This framework illustrates the comprehensive nature of and helps categorize the activities necessary for a well-functioning public health system and can complement other assessments. Outlining the features of a public health system for recovery in structured manner can also help lay the foundation for sustainable long-term development leading to a more robust and resilient health system.

Highlights

Emergencies often have a direct impact on the health systems and public health systems of an affected region or country, in resource-constrained areas.[1,2,3,4,5] The effects of an emergency on the performance and capacity of these systems depend upon a variety of interrelated factors, which include the predisaster status of the systems, the type of emergency, the effectiveness of the response, and the initiation of recovery activities.[6,7] Health system recovery following an emergency is an intricate and dynamic process
To highlight public health system recovery, we retrospectively examined recovery work in Haiti through the framework of the 10 essential public health services (EPHSs) (Figure 211)
We used this alternate framework to illustrate the comprehensive nature of the public health systems recovery effort undertaken by the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) in conjunction with the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), other U.S government (USG) and United Nations

Summary

Introduction

Emergencies often have a direct impact on the health systems and public health systems of an affected region or country, in resource-constrained areas.[1,2,3,4,5] The effects of an emergency on the performance and capacity of these systems depend upon a variety of interrelated factors, which include the predisaster status of the systems, the type of emergency, the effectiveness of the response, and the initiation of recovery activities.[6,7] Health system recovery following an emergency is an intricate and dynamic process. The strategic objectives and operating procedures used to guide, develop, and initiate health system response and recovery plans are often framed by the World Health Organization (WHO) health system building blocks (Figure 19), which are primarily used to inform health development priorities and plans. To highlight public health system recovery, we retrospectively examined recovery work in Haiti through the framework of the 10 essential public health services (EPHSs) (Figure 211). We used this alternate framework to illustrate the comprehensive nature of the public health systems recovery effort undertaken by the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) in conjunction with the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), other U.S government (USG) and United Nations

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