Decontamination with At-Risk Populations: Lessons Learned

Abstract

“At-risk populations” are often excluded from emergency preparedness plans, despite their increased vulnerability. In August 2007, Sinai Health System (Chicago, IL) conducted a field exercise, a decontamination drill which incorporated people with physical disabilities, who are Deaf, and/or who have limited English proficiency. The planning team included staff from these populations. Three main adaptations were made to the decontamination plan: the use of accessible equipment for nonambulatory individuals (as appropriate), the inclusion of sign language and Spanish interpreters as decontamination staff, and the addition of physical therapists to the decontamination team. This article details what changes we made to our decontamination plan, how well each change worked, and the additional suggestions provided by participants on how to improve the process in the future. We share our lessons learned and recommendations for future disaster planning. Support: We would like to thank the Chicago Department of Public Health and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response for the funding of this project. Parts of this text have been reproduced with permission from the authors’ article “Decontamination of People with Spinal Cord Injury: Best Practices and Lessons Learned.” SCI Psychosocial Process. 21(1). pp. 15-24. http://www.aascipsw.org/pdf/sci-psychosocial-process-21.1. pdf.