Preparedness Funding Research Articles

Regional Emergency Preparedness Efforts by Local Health Departments in Western New York

Public health agencies at all levels are now under increasing pressure to prepare for and respond to emerging natural and manmade threats to the health and wellness of those they serve. In particular, local health departments must be prepared to provide front-line defense and first response as threats of terrorism have become increasingly real. Success in meeting this monumental task will be highly dependent on funding as well as the availability of other resources. Although local health departments serving smaller counties may have fewer resources and receive less preparedness funding, they must still develop similar plans, surveillance systems, and response capabilities as local health departments serving larger counties (albeit on a smaller scale). Although local health departments serving larger counties may have more resources and receive more preparedness funding, they may face a greater chance of an intentional terrorist act and could benefit from support from local health departments serving smaller counties. Regional planning and response solutions to this challenge will allow partnerships of small and large local health departments to pool their resources and cooperatively provide more services with less duplication using whatever funding is available. This article describes that process as it is occurring in western New York among eight local county health departments.

N EW D EVELOPMENTS IN H EALTH AND M EDICAL P REPAREDNESS R ELATED TO THE T HREAT OF T ERRORISM

Since 1999, and particularly the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the federal government has sought to prepare against the threat of bioterrorism by developing a comprehensive national “preparedness and response” program that encompasses state and local health agencies. In fiscal year 1999, approximately $150 million was made available through the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to develop bioterrorism preparedness and response infrastructure in public health departments. Emergency medical services (EMS) funding was not specifically considered in this DHHS program, primarily because EMS is usually funded through traditional first-responder programs in other departments of the U.S. government. This approach may be effective in addressing some EMS needs, but it is insufficient for enhancing the emergency medical infrastructure throughout this country or for linking emergency public health and emergency medical prehospital initiatives. The role of EMS is shifting. As EMS in the future will be expected to be more comprehensive and encompass the urgent aspects of public health preparedness and response, more resources must be applied to the medical control units of EMS systems so that they may provide the most benefit to the public health and medical system. Emergency medical systems and their leadership are poised to play a critical role in national preparedness against bioterrorism. Preparedness funding within the health sector will continue to expand markedly in the near future. However, a well-developed strategy will be necessary to sustain the best linkage between EMS, hospital preparedness, and public health preparedness at the local, state, and federal levels.

Emergency preparedness and disaster management in Hawaii

The research is an administrative case study based on an extensive review of Hawaii government documents and interviews with key personnel of the Hawaii Emergency Preparedness Committee, civil defense and other relevant officials. Describes the interagency coordination at the federal, state, county, and community level to improve capability. Also described and critically evaluated are the roles of interagency emergency preparedness training, disaster drills, and coordination and partnership with the private sector, such as medical centers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s designated “disaster resistant communities” in Maui and Hawaii County. Recommends that more frequent interagency drills, increased funding for family emergency preparedness and local community response teams, and continuous training by emergency response coordinators could improve state and county disaster preparedness and concludes that, overall, Hawaii is adequately prepared in emergency response capability, particularly in the areas of medical services and interagency coordination.