When disasters strike people are scared and need a place to turn for help. Health care facilities must have a plan in place to protect and help the people effected. There are lots of types of disasters, some are caused by nature and some are human made. Disaster management must encompasses prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery (Stanhope and Lancaster, 2016, p. 507). Being prepared may be difficult because there are so many types of disasters, but by making a plan it is possible to retain order and adapt to the situation.
Plan
Having a visable plan is important to help staff members understand what will occur during a disaster. At the facility where this nurse works the plan includes breaking staff members into two teams.
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During a disaster employees may feel a conflict between their desire to help the facility and their personal responsibilities. It is important for the facility to support their employees, but maintain a plan that will keep patents safe. By alternating responsibilities and maintaining open communication, barriers to reporting may be reduced. During a disaster employees may be afraid. For a plan to be successful, the facility must do all it can to reduce the fear and anxiety the employee may be experiencing, this way they may perform at their best and provide the best care possible.
References
Connor, S. B. (2014). When and why health care personnel respond to a disaster: the state of the science. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 29(03), 270-274. doi:10.1017/s1049023x14000387
Ogedegbe, C., Nyirenda, T., Delmoro, G., Yamin, E., & Feldman, J. (2012). Health care workers and disaster preparedness: barriers to and facilitators of willingness to respond. International Journal of Emergency Medicine, 5(1), 29. doi:10.1186/1865-1380-5-29
Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2016). Public health nursing: population-centered health care in the community. St. Louis, MO:
Both man-made and natural disasters are often devastating, resource draining and disruptive. Having a basic plan ready for these types of disaster events is key to the success of executing and implementing, as well as assessing the aftermath. There are many different ways to create an emergency operations plan (EOP) to encompass a natural and/or man-made disaster, including following the six stage planning process, collection of information, and identification of threats and hazards. The most important aspect of the US emergency management system in preparing for, mitigating, and responding to man-made and natural disasters is the creation, implementation and assessment of a community’s EOP.
Schmidt, C. K., Davis, J. M., Sanders, J. L., Chapman, L. A., Cisco, M. C., and Hady, A. R. (2011). Exploring Nursing Students’ Level of Preparedness for Disaster Response. Nursing Education Perspectives, 32(6), 380-383. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezp-02.lirn.net/docview/920892622/fulltextPDF/F759D54F8924633PQ/1?accountid=158614
The goals include increasing nurses’ awareness of their roles and responsibilities in preparing for and responding to a disaster. There are web-based courses available for professionals who are not necessarily planning to deploy to a disaster site but working in hospitals, schools or long-term care settings. These individuals could help with the long-range planning of patients involved in a disaster. The course is designed to protect the nurse and the public through the use of universal precautions, protective equipment, evidence collection and isolation precautions. These are areas that the emergency nurse may not consider when volunteering on the front line of a disaster (Stokowski, 2012). Other areas of the course include how to prepare for a disaster, who to notify when an event is unfolding, the assessment, diagnosing and treating of injuries and illnesses, incorporating clinical judgment skills, and supporting the community after the disaster (Orr,
Hazards pose risk to everyone. Our acceptance of the risks associated with hazards dictates where and how we live. As humans, we accept a certain amount of risk when choosing to live our daily lives. From time to time, a hazard becomes an emergent situation. Tornadoes in the Midwest, hurricanes along the Gulf Coast or earthquakes in California are all hazards that residents in those regions accept and live with. This paper will examine one hazard that caused a disaster requiring a response from emergency management personnel. Specifically, the hazard more closely examined here is an earthquake. With the recent twenty year anniversary covered by many media outlets, the January 17, 1994, Northridge, California earthquake to date is the most expensive earthquake in American history.
Today, the Red Cross offers numerous domestic and international services that are not limited to support amid tragedy. For instance, the organization saves millions of lives outside the country through health initiatives that provide clean water, vaccinations, and preventative measure for future crises (“International Services”, n.d.). In the U.S., the Red Cross offers various emergency training programs as well as health education programs (“A Brief History of the American Red Cross”, n.d.). Altogether, the American Red Cross aids millions of people around the world through its support
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2014), “Planning is the process of setting goals, creating organizational strategies and/or outlining tasks and innovative ways to accomplish the goals you have set in order to be a successful organization.” In the world of management or healthcare management planning is a vital importance in that it helps to focus, prepare and clarify the daily projects and assignments that may help an organization become a successful entity. Planning can also be very important in many other ways such as, saving time...
Public health nursing focuses on the entire community with similar health characteristics. As a result, it is a population-based intervention program that involves everyone at risk. Secondly, it guides assessment of the community’s health status through an elaborate process (Truglio-Londrigan and Lewenson 10). For example, the practice develops and prioritizes plans in accordance with research and analysis of risk factors, assets and health status of the community. Additionally, the practice also considers external determinant of health. The determinants are a range of factors that affect the health other than a person’s health risk or...
According to Allender, Rector, and Warner (2014), public health is a combination of both an art and a science (2014). The mission of public health nursing is to promote health, prevent disease and ultimately prolong life (Allender et al., 2014). In order for this to occur an assessment must take place. An aggregate or community assessment begins with a collection of data. This includes: the community’s health needs, risks, environmental conditions, financial resources through local census data, and a windshield survey (Allender et al., 2014). Through public health nursing, communities can collectively come together to help promote an overall better health standing.
The major preparedness measures taken include strategic planning for disaster, making changes in procurement procedures, developing a communication plan, and investigating insurance coverage.
Emergency management is often described in terms of “phases,” using terms such as mitigate, prepare, respond and recover. The main purpose of this assignment is to examine the origins, underlying concepts, variations, limitations, and implications of the “phases of emergency management.” In this paper we will look at definitions and descriptions of each phase or component of emergency management, the importance of understanding interrelationships and responsibilities for each phase, some newer language and associated concepts (e.g., disaster resistance, sustainability, resilience, business continuity, risk management), and the diversity of research perspectives.
A disaster is not a simple emergency. A disaster is that point when a human is suffering and has a devastating situation which they themselves need help from others to survive. Regardless if natural or human caused, a disaster causes a vast amount of issues in the community. In the simulation of “Disaster in Franklin County reveals that preparation is key and even with that more can be addressed. A community nurse remains an essential part of the team involved in a disaster including before, during, and after the event.
The purpose of this paper is to discuss potential disasters that could affect a community and cause mass causalities. Further discussion will include who is responsible for the management preparedness, what barriers must be considered and finally this paper will discuss the health care facilities role in emergency supplies and care of the patient in a disaster situation.
Of the four phases of emergency management, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, perhaps the place that individuals can make the biggest difference in their own state of resiliency and survival of a disaster is in the preparedness phase. Being prepared before a disaster strikes makes sense yet many people fail to take even simple, precautionary steps to reduce the consequences of destruction and mayhem produced by natural events such as earthquakes, volcanos and tornados (see Paton et al, 2001, Mileti and Peek, 2002; Tierney, 1993, Tierney et al, 2001).
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