Disaster Plan
DISASTER RECOVERY PLAN FP4060- PRACTICING IN
IMPROVING COMMUNITY HEALTH CAPELLA UNIVERSITY
FEBRUARY 2021
Background on Valley City Regional
◦ Primary source of health care for a wide area of North Dakota
◦ 2 years ago- there was a catastrophic derailment of an oil-tanker train and the
subsequent explosion and fire.
◦ 6 residents of our city lost their lives
◦ Many professionals in the city agree they were underprepared for a disaster →
Need for a plan
FEMA- Federal Emergency Management Agency
◦ Goal- The goal of FEMA, which is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (as of 2003), is to
“plan, prepare and mitigate” before, during, and after manmade and natural disasters and acts of
terrorism.
◦ One of the first goals of FEMA upon its creation was to develop an Integrated Emergency Management
System, which includes an “all-hazards” approach, meaning that it would be capable of handling a full
range of emergencies, from small, isolated events to a major national event such as war.
2018-2022 Strategic Plan to achieve three overarching goals:
◦ Build a Culture of Preparedness
◦ Ready the Nation for Catastrophic Disasters
◦ Reduce the Complexity of FEMA
Determinants of Health that impact safety, health, and disaster recovery efforts in a community ◦ Economic and social environment- higher income and social status is linked to
better health.
◦ Physical environment- safe water and clean air, healthy workplaces, safe
houses, communities and roads all contribute to good health.
◦ Individual characteristics, biology and behavior/genetics- Personal behavior
and coping skills – balanced eating, keeping active, smoking, drinking, and
how we deal with life’s stresses and challenges all affect health. Employment
and working conditions – people in employment are healthier, particularly
those who have more control over their working condition
MAP-IT Model
◦ Mobilizes collaborative partners
◦ Assess what the community needs
◦ Plans to lessen health disparities and improve access to
services
◦ Implements a plan to reach Health People 2020 goals,
◦ Tracks progress
Disaster Triaging
◦ Red- Life threatening injuries, such as those with Long bone fractures, actively
hemorrhaging without distal pulses. These patients lives are in immediate danger and
need immediate attention
◦ Yellow- Patients with non-life threatening injuries. These patients will require urgent
medical attention, not immediate such as those with an open fracture but the
bleeding is controlled and patient is awake and alert, not actively hemorrhaging
◦ Green- Minor injuries who will eventually need attention. These patients are alert and
oriented and walking and talking
◦ Black- near death. These patients have extensive injuries whose lives cannot be saved
with the available resources. This is seen with a patient who has bruising to body, but is
unresponsive and has no pulse.
Lessening the Health Disparities and Improving Access to Care
◦ Restoring
◦ Redeveloping
◦ Revitalizing the community
Achieving Healthy People 2020 Goal
◦ GOAL- attain high-quality, longer lives free of
preventable disease, disability, injury, and premature
death; achieve health equity, eliminate disparities, and
improve the health of all groups; create social and
physical environments that promote good health for all;
and promote quality of life, healthy development
(Healthy People, 2020).
Health and Government Policy Impact
◦The Stafford Act: The aid can potentially come in a variety of forms- including individual
assistance, public assistance, hazard mitigation, and pandemic coverage.
The Stafford Act allows, among other things:
◦ The creation of emergency medical facilities;
◦ The provision of emergency medical treatment; and
◦ The provision of water, food, medicine, and other supplies to affected areas.
The public assistance available under the Stafford Act is shared with state and
local governments, with the federal government paying 75% of the cost. Federal funds can be used to pay for emergency work, building materials,
search and rescue, evacuation, medical care, food, water, and shelter.
Continued..
◦ Individual Assistance—Provides immediate direct and financial
assistance to individuals for housing and other disaster related needs.
◦ Hazard Mitigation—Provides grants to affected governments to
implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster
declaration.
◦ Public Assistance—Provides aid to eligible applicants seeking assistance
with eligible costs for eligible work performed at eligible facilities.
Funding for public assistance is divided generally into a 75 percent
federal share and 25 percent state share
Enhancing Communication
The WHO lists several ways to improve communication with
the public to ensure all parties are cooperating with local
and federal government (WHO- Improving Communication,
2013).
◦ a)In-person events—briefings and public meetings.
◦ b)Print media—newspapers and magazines.
◦ c) Broadcast media—television and radio.
◦ d) Internet and social media.
Tracking Progress
◦ Feedback from staff
◦ Direct communication within the Villa Health Network with
government staffers
◦ Villa Health Network executives should hold semi-annual mock-
disaster plans with RNs and MDs to ensure all staff is aware of the
new disaster plan and can act accordingly in the event of a
disaster
Conclusion ◦ We will be ready for the next disaster!
Resources ◦ Delivering essential healthcare services. (2020, September 18). Retrieved February 11, 2021, from
https://www.cdc.gov/cpr/readiness/healthcare/essentialhc.htm
◦ Determinants of health. (2018.). Retrieved February 11, 2021, from https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a- detail/determinants-of-health
◦ Emergency authority and Immunity Toolkit. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2021, from https://astho.org/Programs/Preparedness/Public-Health-Emergency-Law/Emergency-Authority-and-Immunity- Toolkit/Robert-T--Stafford-Disaster-Relief-and-Emergency-Assistance-Act-Fact-Sheet/#:~:text=Three types of assistance are authorized by the,provided by or contracted for by affected states.
◦ Getting care & drugs in disasters or emergencies. (2019). Retrieved February 11, 2021, from https://www.medicare.gov/what-medicare-covers/getting-care-drugs-in-disasters-or-emergencies
◦ Morbidity and MORTALITY weekly Report (MMWR). (2021, February 10). Retrieved February 11, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index.html
◦ Relevant disaster legislation and materials. (2018, December 19). Retrieved February 11, 2021, from https://www.doi.gov/recovery/about-recovery/disaster-laws#:~:text=(The Stafford Act) The Stafford Act details the,individuals affected by a presidentially-declared disaster or emergency.
◦ Section 14. map-it: A model for Implementing healthy People 2020. (2017). Retrieved February 11, 2021, from https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/overview/models-for-community-health-and-development/map- it/main
◦ What is a disaster? (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2021, from https://www.ifrc.org/en/what-we-do/disaster- management/about-disasters/what-is-a- disaster/#:~:text=A%20disaster%20is%20a%20sudden%2C%20calamitous%20event%20that,caused%20by%20natu re%2C%20disasters%20can%20have%20human%20origins.