Crisis Response Plan Research Articles

Leadership dynamics and Covid-19 crisis management in Singapore: a contingency approach

PurposeThe goal of this study is to explore the role leadership play by Singapore’s government in the handling of the Covid-19 crisis and to suggest recommendations around the leadership dynamics in solving similar challenges experienced by businesses, organizations and societies.Design/methodology/approachThis review was conducted using a case study and a desk review, a systematic review as well as a narrative method where physical books, web searches, online platforms, patterns in related occurrences and related literature were used to support the study. The review was anchored on the contingency approach and the stakeholder theory. Two hypotheses were developed and tested using qualitative comparative analysis. The study finding showed that the Singapore government used an all-inclusive functional leadership approach in curtailing the effect of the pandemic on Singaporeans. The study recommends that in decision-making, being proactive and timely is critical, and developing more conceivable and holistic crisis response plans through an integrated orientation is paramount to the successful achievement of a goal.FindingsDespite some flaws, it was found that the Singaporean government had conveniently used a contingency leadership approach through an all-inclusive functional leadership to mitigate the effect of Covid-19 through the use of social media, messaging apps and effective communication, effective pandemic control techniques, albeit in a proactive manner. As a result, Singapore's mortality rate was relatively lower than that of other nations that were adversely affected by the epidemic, earning them a prime position in the crisis response. The study, therefore, contends that their proactive response to containing the pandemic can be used as a model for people, businesses, the political system and society to lessen incidents of a similar nature in the future.Practical implicationsPolicymakers, scholars and frontline workers may have sufficient reason to devote time to developing a more viable, comprehensive crisis response plan by pursuing an integrated learning strategy, through the use of contingency approaches and drawing on past experiences in dealing with global health emergencies. Apart from this, Singapore’s experience will serve as a lesson for the management of businesses and leaders of societies to take proactive steps in dealing with challenges as soon as they arise.Originality/valueThis review showed that contingency is a reality faced by every society and organization and people’s collective responsibility is a necessity during such time. Therefore, when an organization/institution is in a familiar situation, policymakers, academics and business management/leaders need to be proactive and also reflect on past experiences to deal with current and future mistakes in the course of daily operations in an organization/society.

On the dispersion of a light chemical agent in a semi-closed environment. A theoretical study

Chemical events have significant public health and emergency preparedness consequences; therefore, crisis response planning is of outmost importance. The dispersion of a chemical agent in an indoor environment, near the so-called “human breathing zone” can cause harmful effects to its occupants.The present study examines the dispersion of ammonia (NH3), i.e., a lighter than air, colorless, highly irritating gas with a suffocating odor, in an office. For that, the turbulent flow of NH3 under the influence of the indoor air's circulation has been simulated, using a Computational Fluid Dynamics model, i.e., the Realizable k-e model.On the whole, the study provides estimation and of the NH3 levels in the office, mainly up to the human breathing zone, as well as evaluation of the natural ventilation's contribution in the decongestion and decontamination of indoor air.•The 3D geometric model of the office was created, taking under consideration the office's structure, the equipment's layout, the openings’ positions as well as any other object that could act as an obstacle to the agent's flow.•The domain's 3D Computational Mesh was created and grid independence tests were performed, in order to secure the solution's independence from the grid.•The chemical agent's flow was simulated and the results were compared to the IDLH index and the AEGLs set for ammonia.

Postvention as Prevention: Coping with Loss at School.

Many Pre-K through grade 12 (PK-12) students have experienced traumatic events throughout the pandemic in a myriad of ways including the death of family members and peers, loss of social interaction and increased violence at home. The consequences can be traumatic and manifest themselves in fear, anxiety, anger, isolation, and loneliness. Too often this leads to depression, anxiety, grief, substance use disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal ideation and even suicides. This study assesses the impact of an innovative virtual human role-play simulation that prepares PK-12 educators, administrators, and school staff to respond to a student death in the school community by creating communities of support to help manage traumatic loss. The simulation addresses crisis response planning, postvention plans, and provides learners with role-play practice in using evidence-based motivational interviewing communication strategies in conversations with students and colleagues after the occurrence of a death. The sample consisted of educators and staff who were recruited from geographically dispersed areas across the US between January 2021 through December 2021. Matched sample t-tests and ANOVAs were used to assess quantitative data, and a qualitative analysis software, MAXQDA, was used to assess open-ended response data. Results show statistically significant increases in school personnel’s preparedness and self-efficacy to recognize signs of trauma in their students and colleagues, and to approach them to talk about concerns and, if necessary, make a referral to support services. Simulations such as this hold tremendous potential in teaching educators how address trauma due to a student death.

Suicide Intervention Practices: What Is Being Used by Mental Health Clinicians and Mental Health Allies?

Objective Implementation of evidence-based suicide prevention is critical to prevent death by suicide. Contrary to previously held beliefs, interventions including contracting for safety, no-harm contracts, and no-suicide contracts are not best practices and are considered contraindicated. Little is known about the current use of best practices and contraindicated interventions for suicide prevention in community settings. Methods Data were collected from 771 individuals enrolled in a suicide prevention training. Both mental health clinicians (n = 613) and mental health allies (e.g., teachers, first responders) (n = 158) reported which best practices (i.e., safety plan, crisis response plan) and contraindicated interventions (i.e., contracting for safety, no-harm contract, no-suicide contract) they use with individuals who presents with risk for suicide. Results The majority of both mental health clinicians (89.7%) and mental health allies (67.1%) endorsed using at least one evidence-based practice. However, of those who endorsed using evidence-based interventions, ∼40% of both mental health clinicians and allies endorsed using contraindicated interventions as well. Conclusion Contraindicated interventions are being used at high rates and suicide prevention trainings for evidence-based interventions should include a focus on de-implementation of contraindicated interventions. This study examined only a snapshot of what clinicians and allies endorsed using. Additional in depth information about each intervention and when it is used would provide helpful information and should be considered in future studies. Future research is needed to ensure only evidence-based interventions are being used to help prevent death by suicide. Highlights: The majority of both mental health clinicians and mental health allies use evidence-based practices for suicide prevention. This indicates good implementation rates of evidence-based interventions for suicide prevention. Approximately 40% of both mental health clinicians and mental health allies who endorsed using evidence-based practices for suicide preventions also endorsed using contraindicated interventions. A focus on de-implementation of contraindicated suicide interventions is warranted and should be part of the focus on suicide prevention efforts.

Content Analysis of Warning Signs Identified as Part of Crisis Response Planning in a Community Sample of Gun Owners and Non-owners.

BackgroundAssessing for and identifying those at imminent risk for suicide continues to present challenges, especially as many who die do not interact with specialty mental health treatment preceding suicide. Suicide-specific interventions in healthcare settings have been found to improve suicide-related outcomes, yet little is known about the confluence of behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and physiological indicators of emotional distress as they correspond to other key risk characteristics and high-risk groups like gun owners.AimThe purpose of this content analysis was to examine self-identified warning signs of distress between gun owners and non-owners through crisis response planning (CRP).MethodsParticipants completed a collaborative CRP. Warning signs were categorized as being either behavioral, cognitive, emotional, or physiological in nature. Bivariate logistic regression models were used to examine associations between firearm ownership and variables of interest. Participants were evenly split between men (n = 44) and women (n = 44) and were predominantly white (67.1%) with a mean age of 35.9 (SD = 13.6).ResultsEmotional warning signs of distress (68.2%) were reported slightly more often than behavioral (65.9%) followed by physiological (52.3%), and cognitive (46.6%). Firearm owners were significantly more likely to be male (OR = 2.5, 95%CI [1.07–6.0]). All participants were about a fourth as likely to report both a behavioral and physiological warning sign concurrently (OR = 0.26, 95% CI [0.09–0.67]).ConclusionSimilarities and departures in warning signs of emotional distress may inform future research exploring both self-reported warning signs and related self-management strategies identified through suicide-specific interventions, particularly among high-risk groups such as gun owners.

Bottom-up vs top-down drivers of eruption style: Petro-geochemical constraints from the holocene explosive activity at La Soufrière de Guadeloupe

Signals of volcanic unrest have been used successfully to provide insights into the timing, magnitude, intensity, and style of future eruptions. However, in order to provide context for the subsequent activity, analysis of past eruptions is required. This provides useful information in order to understand processes of magma genesis, storage, evolution and ascent which lead to the onset of eruptions. Here, we examine basaltic-andesitic to andesitic deposits from La Soufrière de Guadeloupe Holocene eruptions, covering a range of explosive eruption styles, ages and magnitudes. Our work is timely given unrest at this system has increased over the last 25 years, with a potential eruption capable of directly impacting up to 80,000 people in Southern Basse-Terre and potentially thousands more indirectly on a regional scale. We report on the geochemistry of pre-eruptive magmas using detailed analyses of glass (melt inclusions and groundmass glass) from four Holocene explosive eruptions: 1657 Cal. CE (Vulcanian, VEI 2), 1530 Cal. CE (sub-Plinian, VEI 3), 1010 Cal. CE (Plinian, VEI 4), and 5680 Cal. BCE (Plinian, VEI 4). Major element concentrations vs SiO2 in whole rock (WR), groundmass glass (GM) and melt inclusions (MI) show a strong linear trend. MIs reveal a relatively homogenous melt composition from the first to the most recent eruptions, ranging from 63.6–78.7 wt% SiO2. Volatiles, including H2O (2.3–4.4 wt%), CO2 (35–866 ppm) and sulphur (30–202 ppm), are also consistent across the various eruptions. The major element and volatile compositional homogeneity across the eruptions indicates that composition and volatiles do not have a direct control on eruption explosivity at this system. Instead, we find differences in ascent rate, groundmass glass viscosity and microlite volume percentage, indicating that explosive eruptive style at La Soufrière is controlled by a combination of ascent rate and top-down controls affecting rock strength, stress distribution and the development of fluid overpressure. Rapid ascent in the absence of top-down controls (processes with a cause external to the magma but affecting the plumbing system) will result in explosive eruptions driven from the bottom-up (internal to magma dynamic response with varying pressure and temperature, e.g., 1010 Cal. CE in the case of very rapid ascent or 1657 Cal. CE in the case of rapid ascent). However, we also highlight the importance of top-down controls, such as conduit sealing which can promote the onset of explosive eruptions, even in the case of slow magma ascent (e.g., 5680 Cal. BCE). External effects (including ingress of water and rapid edifice unloading) can also favour explosive eruptions with flank collapses involved in some scenarios (e.g., 1530 Cal. CE). The multiple controls on explosive eruption style make this system more hazardous and complex to model and monitor. In order to improve early-warning system efficiency, forecast models, eruption scenario crisis response and long-term risk reduction planning, we stress that internal processes such as fracture and host-rock sealing (fluid pore pressure) as well as external processes such as water moving into the system and the mechanical stability of the edifice should be monitored and modelled closely.

Responding to women experiencing domestic and family violence during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Exploring experiences and impacts of remote service delivery in Australia

AbstractThe COVID‐19 health pandemic has increased women's vulnerability to all forms of domestic and family violence (DFV). In the first weeks of March 2020, most Australian states and territories, like many other jurisdictions, entered into a period of government‐directed restrictions including stay‐at‐home orders, physical distancing limitations and closure of a significant number of community services. With more people confined to their homes, the risk of DFV increased at the same time as access to support services was reduced. In this article, we present the findings of two surveys conducted in the Australian states of Victoria and Queensland to explore the professional experiences of practitioners supporting women experiencing violence during the pandemic. Our analysis offers new insights into the ways in which practitioners pivoted their services to respond remotely to women experiencing violence and the challenges of effectively undertaking safety planning and risk assessment without face‐to‐face contact. The second half of this article examines the implications of remote service delivery on practitioner mental health and well‐being. The findings have global relevance and reveal the critical need to prioritize well‐being supports for DFV practitioners in crisis response plans.

PREPAREDNESS VS. IMPROVISATION: A RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 CRISIS IN SLOVENIA

Abstract. Crisis response planning can never fully prevent a certain amount of improvisation given that, in some cases, it is necessary, if not even desirable. This article analyses the research question on the relationship between crisis planning and improvisation in theory and with respect to the Covid-19 epidemic in Slovenia. Despite existing systemic recommendations, normative and to some extent operational crisis preparedness, our analysis of the country’s response reveals improvisation in several key elements: planning, decision-making, coordination and crisis communication. The quite considerable improvisation seen with the epidemic is the outcome of its unexpected dimensions, the absence of a comprehensive crisis management plan, and individual actors’ insufficient crisis management competences. It has been reflected in the establishing of specialised ad hoc structures, overnight decisions and their sudden reversals, and often in inconsistent and inappropriate communication with the public. Keywords: preparedness, improvisation, planning, decision-making, coordination, crisis communication, Covid-19 epidemic

Refugees, Residents, and Rentierism: A Critical Assessment of Responses to the Syrian Refugee Crisis

ABSTRACT How have international agreements on refugees affected the politics of host states of first asylum in the Middle East? The works reviewed here examine the experiences of Lebanon and Jordan, the two countries with the highest refugee- to-citizen ratio in the world, in the context of the Syrian refugee crisis. Five years since the signing of the Jordan Compact and the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan, which have shaped refugee protection in the two countries, the time is ripe for a re-evaluation of the decision to blur the lines between humanitarian and developmental aid. Focusing on the shifting relationship between Syrian refugees and citizens, the review highlights the range of local tensions accentuated by the refugee compact system. It employs the concept of refugee rent—namely, external income linked to the treatment of forcibly displaced population groups—in order to critically assess the repercussions of refugee commodification for the Middle East.

A systematic analysis and prioritization of suicide prevention research gaps.

This study identified and prioritized research gaps for suicide prevention in the Department of Defense to inform future research investments. The 2019 VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for the Assessment and Management of Patients at Risk for Suicide was the primary source document for research gaps, supplemented by an updated literature search. Institutional stakeholders rated the identified research gaps and ranked the gap categories. We used Q factor analysis to derive a list of the prioritized research gaps and category rankings. Thirty-five research gaps were identified and prioritized. The highest rated research gap topic was lethal means safety interventions and their effectiveness in increasing safety behaviors and/or reducing suicide-related outcomes. Research on the effectiveness of crisis response planning and several other non-pharmacological interventions (e.g., implementation of cognitive-behavioral therapy, technology-based behavioral interventions, and applications of dialectical behavior therapy to non-Borderline patients) were also rated highly by stakeholders. This work generated a list of priorities for future suicide research as evaluated by Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs stakeholders. Our findings can help guide the efforts of suicide researchers and inform decisions about future research funding for suicide prevention.

외국인 유학생 감염병 관리방안 : 부산시 소재 대학의 코로나19 대응을 중심으로

Background & Objectives: The purpose of this study is to present infectious diseases control and crisis response plans for International students by investigating the management of International students and prevention of infectious diseases targeting International students infectious disease control managers at universities in Busan in a situation where the risk of infectious diseases increases due to the spread of COVID-19. Methods: The data were collected from 14 International students infectious disease control managers at universities in Busan. Statistical analysis was done by using SPSS 22.0. Results: There were differences in the importance and performance of COVID-19 infectious disease control and support work by university. Conclusions: It is necessary to integrate management of support and roles of infectious diseases control for foreign students. Furthermore, strengthening the competence of experts and communication tools with international students are needed.

92090 Novel use of REDCap to develop a Crisis Management Decision-Support Portal at an Academic Medical Center

ABSTRACT IMPACT: Implementation of digital and mobile applications in clinical research crisis response protocols can mitigate their impact on clinical research. OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Crisis management is fundamental to ensuring the protection of human subjects during a clinical trial. Mobile apps have the capacity to allow for quick access to crisis response plans and can serve to mitigate their impact on clinical research. Electronic data capture tools can be used to create digital applications for such a response. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The Clinical Research Center at Rutgers University transferred a paper-based crisis management response plan to a digital mobile application format using Vanderbuilt’s Research Electronic Data Capture Tool (REDCap). REDCap’s branching logic allowed for programming a decision support functionality to guide users through 3 specific crises. (1) threatening or aggressive study subject behavior; (2) clinical research center break in or theft; and (3) adverse event observed for ongoing or closed clinical research study. Applicable U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, IRB guidelines, institutional policies and procedures were also used as a component of the mobile development. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The Crisis Management Decision-Support Portal within the Clinical Research Center has an interactive structure. The use of branching logic demonstrates the ability for users to answer each question and be guided to appropriate responses specific to selected criteria related to each event. The tool contains a self-correct function by providing a reset option after answering each section. The portal itself can be accessed using any computer or cellphone with an internet connection. It provides the users with appropriate criteria to determine to exact communication and management protocols for reporting for the crisis event they are witnessing. As users access the portal, usage data can be collected, tracked, and stored. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: The REDCap platform offers the opportunity to digitize crisis management protocols that ensure professionals have easy access to appropriate responses to crises at the center. The use a digital application rather than paper allows for a CTSA sponsored hub to mitigate damage, simply build new protocols, modify existing protocols, and track usage.

Emergency preparation and mitigation for COVID-19 response in an integrated pharmacy practice model.

PurposeThe purpose of this descriptive report is to share experiences in crisis response planning and risk mitigation at a university health system department of pharmacy with an integrated clinical practice model in the early months of the coronarvirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.SummaryThe department of pharmacy’s COVID-19 pandemic response included successful planning and implementation of measures to maintain pharmacy operations and minimize COVID-19 exposure of patients and staff. These measures included ensuring adequate personnel staffing using flexible staffing solutions, ongoing assessment of supply chain integrity, and continuation of integrated clinical pharmacy services 24/7 throughout the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Information technology (IT) and educational program modifications are also discussed.ConclusionThis report describes successful crisis planning and risk mitigation in the setting of COVID-19, which was facilitated by the department of pharmacy’s integrated clinical practice model. This model enabled uninterrupted personnel scheduling, supply chain integrity, continued provision of 24/7 integrated clinical services, adaptive use of IT tools, and continuation of educational programs. The experiences described may be instructive to other pharmacy departments in evaluating their response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in planning for similar pandemic or other emergency scenarios.

Impacts of COVID-19 on corporate governance and assurance, international finance and economics, and non-fiction book publishing: some personal reflections

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to share personal reflections on impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on corporate governance and assurance, international finance and economics and non-fiction book publishing. The paper is intended both as a time capsule and as input for future governance and assurance reform and crisis response planning and related research.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is an informal capturing and distillation of some personal experiences and insights relating to corporate governance and assurance, international finance and economics and non-fiction publishing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.FindingsA key insight from the essay is that the pandemic has had diverse and wide-ranging impacts, many of which are likely to persist beyond the immediate response and recovery periods. The impacts have been felt across the public and private sectors, the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors and different industries.Originality/valueThe author, based in Melbourne, Australia, had an unusually diverse and multi-faceted experience of the pandemic. The essay concludes with directions for further research.

A Study on the Characteristics of the Initial Response System in Military Crisis

The security situation facing Korea requires a very active initial response in the event of a military crisis. The survey was conducted on the professional working group regarding their initial responses and the core items and contents of the initial responses derived from the survey were analyzed and synthesized by the descriptive statistics method. In the first stage of situation determination, accurate situation recognition and evaluation are needed based on the analysis of situation judgment, resolution, and response. In the second stage of decision, it is necessary to determine a clear goal for initial response and a crisis response plan, to timely report situations, to spread an alarm, and to cultivate a decision ability to form an appropriate crisis response organization. In the third stage of response, establishing the on-site command and control system is critical along with close information sharing and cooperation with the media and private organizations. This study highlights the importance and necessity of the initial response in military crisis since it could minimize the damage to the military and civilian infrastructure and prevent the expansion of operations.

Understanding (in)tolerance between Hosts and Refugees in Lebanon

AbstractWith the growth in political, ethnic, and religious conflicts across the globe, intolerance is manifested across different societies especially in the context of (forced) migration and refugees. The purpose of this study is to examine intolerance as a complex social problem. Specifically, this research seeks to explore the perceptions and conceptions of (in)tolerance between refugees from Syria and host communities in Lebanon identifying the degree and the different forms in which tolerance and intolerance materialize. This will allow different agents such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), policymakers, and relevant authorities to develop adequate interventions to tackle this phenomenon through a social marketing approach and improve (refugee) crisis response plans. The situation has emerged following the Syrian conflict (2011–present) and the arrival of 1.5 million refugees into Lebanon. This number thus constitutes a challenge to both the hosts and the refugees in Lebanon, a small country. A qualitative study was conducted based on semi-structured interviews to investigate the perceptions and conceptions of the target audiences, citizens, refugees, leaders, and NGO staff/volunteers. Results show the existence of a phenomenon of intolerance; its relevant aspects, namely discrimination, prejudice, stereotypes, racism, and scapegoating; and the rise of violence–tension and fear as emerging themes of intolerance manifestations in the context of the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon.

Understanding and managing suicide risk.

Suicidal behaviours and non-suicidal self-harm (NSSH) are global public health concerns that affect millions of lives. This review is a narrative synthesis of systematic reviews, meta-analyses of randomized control trials (RCTs) and landmark studies published in scientific journals. Restricting access to lethal means reduces the likelihood of future suicide deaths. Our ability to predict future suicidal behaviour is no better than chance. No individual risk prediction instrument offers sufficient sensitivity and specificity to inform clinically useful decision-making. Different types of psychosocial interventions may be effective in preventing future suicide attempts; such interventions include clinical assessment, tailored crisis response and safety plans and follow-up contact. Whilst some psychosocial interventions can be effective in reducing suicide risk, little is known about the mechanisms of recovery from suicidal thoughts and behaviours.

The Dynamical Interplay of Collective Attention, Awareness and Epidemics Spreading in the Multiplex Social Networks During COVID-19.

Leveraging social and communication technologies, we can digitally observe that the collective attention typically exhibits a heterogeneous structure. It shows that people’s interests are organized in clusters around different topics, but the rising of an extraordinary emergency event, as the coronavirus disease epidemics, channels the people’s attention into a more homogenized structure, shifting it as triggered by a non-random collective process. The connectedness of networked individuals, on multiple social levels, impacts on the attention, representing a tuning element of different behavioural outcomes, changing the awareness diffusion enough to produce effects on epidemics spreading. We propose a mathematical framework to model the interplay between the collective attention and the co-evolving processes of awareness diffusion, modelled as a social contagion phenomenon, and epidemic spreading on weighted multiplex networks. Our proposed modeling approach structures a systematically understanding as a social network marker of interdependent collective dynamics through the introduction of the multiplex dimension of both networked individuals and topics, quantifying the role of human-related factors, as homophily, network properties, and heterogeneity. We introduce a data-driven approach by integrating different types of data, digitally traced as user-generated data from Twitter and Google Trends, in response to an extraordinary emergency event as coronavirus disease. Our findings demonstrate how the proposed model allows us to quantify the reaction of the collective attention, proving that it can represent a social predictive marker of the awareness dynamics, unveiling the impact on epidemic spreading, for a timely crisis response planning. Simulations results shed light on the coherence between the data-driven approach and the proposed analytical model.

Meaning in Life Drives Reductions in Suicide Risk Among Acutely Suicidal Soldiers Receiving a Crisis Response Plan

Objective: The purpose was to examine temporal associations among meaning in life and suicide risk across suicide-focused interventions. Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted using data from a randomized clinical trial testing the efficacy of a standard crisis response plan (S-CRP) and a CRP enhanced with a discussion about the patient's reasons for living (E-CRP) as compared to treatment as usual (TAU). A total of 97 active duty U.S. Army personnel presenting to military emergency departments and outpatient behavioral health clinics with active suicide ideation or a lifetime history of suicide attempts were enrolled between January 2013 and February 2016. Meaning in life and suicide risk were assessed at baseline and 1, 3, and 6 month follow-ups. Results: The association of meaning in life with time-lagged suicide risk significantly differed across treatment groups (p = .024). In TAU, meaning in life was not significantly associated with later reductions in suicide risk. In S-CRP, a stronger desire to establish meaning in life was significantly associated with later reductions in suicide risk (p < .001). In E-CRP, a stronger sense of purpose and meaning in life was significantly associated with later reductions in suicide risk (p < .001). Discussion: Faster reductions in suicide risk observed among patients who receive a CRP are attributable in part by the effects of strengthened meaning in life. Different facets of meaning in life contribute to reduced suicide risk in unique ways across treatments with varying components. Clinical Trials Registration: Data used in this secondary analysis came from ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02042131.

School District Crisis Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Plans - United States, 2006, 2012, and 2016.

Children spend the majority of their time at school and are particularly vulnerable to the negative emotional and behavioral impacts of disasters, including anxiety, depressive symptoms, impaired social relationships, and poor school performance (1). Because of concerns about inadequate school-based emergency planning to address the unique needs of children and the adults who support them, Healthy People 2020 includes objectives to improve school preparedness, response, and recovery plans (Preparedness [PREP]-5) (2). To examine improvements over time and gaps in school preparedness plans, data from the 2006, 2012, and 2016 School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS) were analyzed to assess changes in the percentage of districts meeting PREP-5 objectives. Findings from these analyses indicate that districts met the PREP-5 objective for requiring schools to include post-disaster mental health services in their crisis preparedness plans for the first time in 2016. However, trend analyses did not reveal statistically significant increases from 2006 to 2016 in the percentage of districts meeting any of the PREP-5 objectives. Differences in preparedness were detected in analyses stratified by urbanicity and census region, highlighting strengths and challenges in emergency planning for schools. To promote the health and safety of faculty, staff members, children, and families, school districts are encouraged to adopt and implement policies to improve school crisis preparedness, response, and recovery plans.