Disaster Preparedness

Read “Case Study: Disaster Preparedness” complete the following:

1. Answer the three questions that follow the case study.
2. Reflect on the importance of interprofessional collaboration and emergency preparedness drills in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Case Study: Disaster Preparedness
Emergency management officials and numerous agencies across multiple jurisdictions cooperate in staging disaster preparedness drills every other year. One year they simulated a collision between two aircraft at the airport. Other drills included a simulated explosion in the subway, a nuclear power plant emergency, and mass exposure to a highly contagious biological agent. This year they are planning to simulate a major flood disaster. Participants include (but are not limited to) first responders such as police, firefighters, and ambulance crews; area hospital systems, public health agencies, colleges, and universities; schools, mosques, churches, and other facilities that could be used as temporary shelters or staging areas; city officials; mass transportation agencies; heavy equipment companies; and communication specialists. The planning for each drill is extensive. Areas of concern that must be addressed include gaining access to the disaster site and victims; providing immediate emergency medical care; transport of people in need of hospital care; providing temporary shelter for displaced persons; and provision of food, water, medications, and other necessities. Communication between agencies and professionals is essential, as is communicating information to the public. These are just a few of the issues that need to be addressed. Collaboration between agencies and personnel is a key factor so duplication of services is avoided and use of available resources is maximized.
Discussion Questions

1. How can disaster preparedness drills help to forge interdependent relationships with other professions, including those outside of health care, to improve and advance learning?
2. Describe ways in which participation in large-scale community preparedness drills can provide opportunities for professional and interprofessional development.
3. Describe how professionals in health care and other fields can collaborate and integrate clinical care and public health interventions in a flood preparedness drill.