Public Health and Emergency Management Systems

Abstract

This chapter addresses concepts and issues that are essential for understanding how public health integrates with emergency management at all levels and in varying emergency circumstances. It presents a general overview of public health and emergency management systems and shows how they interface. One critical strategy to maintain public health in health-related emergencies is containment and prevention of disease. The chapter discusses the comprehensive emergency management, and outlines the incident command system (ICS), including the adoption within the United States of the National Incident Management System (NIMS). It explains the interconnectivity of healthcare systems as it relates to public health and emergency management systems and activities. The chapter describes the management of volunteers who spontaneously volunteer or are assigned to public health and deploy in support of emergencies. Finally, it examines the communications among public health and emergency management systems.