COMMUNICATION & INTEROPERABILITY ARCHIVES
Public Health and Medical Interoperability Challenges
Bruce Clements
June 29, 2011
Rapid advances in telemedicine and in the computerization of medical records are now the norm, but are made extremely complicated by – well, by other rapid advances in telemedicine and in the computerization of medical records. Additional breakthroughs are still possible, and highly desired. The pace of progress should perhaps
Manmade Disasters: The Need for Interoperable Communications
Omar Alkhalaf
June 22, 2011
The mounting of a successful response to a major disaster requires the combined skills of firefighters, emergency managers, policemen, and other experienced professionals. It helps considerably, though, if they can talk to one another – ask anyone who lived through the London subway bombings, the Rhode Island nightclub fire, or
The New PLAN: Government Alerts Enter the 21st Century
Rodrigo (Roddy) Moscoso
June 15, 2011
The old saying that, “No matter where you go, there you are,” has become the new Golden Rule for emergency-alert notifications, thanks to the combined efforts of the FCC, FEMA, and the commercial U.S. cellular industry. That is the PLAN, anyway. But it works better if IPAWS is OPEN to
The Public Health Role During Mass-Fatality Incidents
Raphael M. Barishansky and Audrey Mazurek
June 8, 2011
Many major disasters start without warning, continue for periods ranging from mere seconds to weeks or months, and leave behind a chaotic mass of useless rubble and ruined lives. The work of public health agencies necessarily starts well before the first tremor, continues through the entire response/recovery/resilience process, and ends
FINAL REPORT: CBRN – BioSurveillance Programs
Stephen Reeves
June 8, 2011
Experts are in agreement that an effective biosurveillance program is needed to protect the nation’s health, farm animals, agriculture and agricultural products of all types, and food supply. This report provides valuable information for responders, receivers, planners, and managers – and the American people at large.
Mass Evacuation of Medical and Functional Needs Populations
Bruce Clements
May 25, 2011
It is reasonable to expect that, when the population of a community – or nation – grows, the need for a mass evacuation of some type will grow at the same pace. That need increases exponentially, though: (a) when catastrophic weather events occur with greater frequency; and/or (b) in the
Staffing, Stockpiling & Surging Forward
Joseph Cahill
May 11, 2011
As most people know, it is impossible to be totally prepared, at all times, to cope with any and all disasters of any type and of any magnitude imaginable. But there are many common-sense steps that can be taken to lessen the impact of most if not all of the
Public Health Monitoring Systems: Two ‘Good Stories’
Jennifer Smither
May 4, 2011
New Jersey calls on Hippocrates to help top officials cope with a major mass-casualty incident with significant international implications; the initial result was a burning success. In Tarrant County, Texas, NACCHO and school nurses put the emphasis on children in fighting the flu and both detecting and controlling the outbreak
CBRNE Preparedness – The Necessary Prerequisites
Stephen Grainer
March 30, 2011
It is taking longer than originally anticipated, but U.S. policies and plans to cope with future CBRNE incidents, accidental or manmade, are not only being published and implemented at the federal level (then revised and updated – if, as, and when needed) but also being replicated, in operational specifics, at
Concepts on Information Sharing and Interoperability
John Contestabile
March 23, 2011
The distinguished former director of Maryland’s DOT Engineering & Emergency Services presents his knowledgeable views on the effective use of design to improve and facilitate not only all-hazards long-range planning but also incident-response capabilities and on-site effectiveness.
Tailoring an Emergency Operations Plan
Raphael M. Barishansky and Audrey Mazurek
March 2, 2011
The old tailor’s maxim – “Measure twice; cut once” – is also a suitable approach to the writing of an all-hazards Emergency Operations Plan for a health department. Here is a comprehensive and easy-to-follow guide to the planning, writing, reviewing, and approval processes necessary to the drafting, development, and dissemination
When High-Tech Fails: Back to Plan B
Joseph Cahill
March 2, 2011
Modern communications systems are a marvel to behold – and to use. And they keep getting better, generation after generation. The only problem, though, is that they sometimes fail, for inexplicable reasons and at the worst possible times. Which is why a backup system (pen and paper, perhaps?) is still
Follow Us
Get Instant Access
Subscribe today to Domestic Preparedness and get real-world insights for safer communities.
