1 Lec - Introduction to Public health Preparedness.pptx

Introduction to Public Health Preparedness Objectives 1. Define public health preparedness and understand the scope of events that can lead to a public health emergency 2. Identify the difference between homeland security and national security 3. Define and understand the evolution of public healt...

Introduction to Public Health Preparedness Objectives 1. Define public health preparedness and understand the scope of events that can lead to a public health emergency 2. Identify the difference between homeland security and national security 3. Define and understand the evolution of public health emergency management 4. Understand the role of the public health professional in emergency preparedness and response activities 5. Be familiar with the types of careers available to public health professionals in preparedness 6. Define core competencies for public health preparedness and emergency management Definition • What public health preparedness means; what emergency management means • Definition: A combination of comprehensive planning, infrastructure building, capacity building, communication, training, and evaluation that increase public health response effectiveness and efficiency in response to infectious disease outbreaks, bioterrorism, and emerging health threats.” Definition • Public health emergency preparedness … is the capability of the public health and health care systems, communities, and individuals, to prevent, protect against, quickly respond to, and recover from health emergencies • Preparedness involves a coordinated and continuous process of planning and implementation that relies on measuring performance and taking corrective action Why do we need public health preparedness plan • This helps health departments build and strengthen their abilities to effectively respond to a range of public health threats, including infectious diseases, natural disasters, and biological, radiological events. chemical, nuclear, and What exactly is a public health emergency? • It is an event “whose scale, timing, or unpredictability threatens to overwhelm routine capabilities.” • These types of events fit into the following four basic categories: 1. The intentional or accidental release of a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) agent. 2. Natural epidemics or pandemics, which may involve a novel, emerging infectious disease, a re-emerging agent, a previously controlled disease, or occur in areas with limited infrastructure or resources. 3. Natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, or fires. 4. Man-made environmental disasters such as oil spills. It is not just enough for the event to occur, but it also must pose a high probability of large-scale morbidity, mortality, or a risk of future harm. Core functions of Public Health Preparedness • Public health preparedness as requiring the basic functions of a public health system, such as • Epidemiology, • Laboratory capacity, and • Event-based surveillance capacity • Supplemented by specialized training, procedures, laws, regulations, and planning, Public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) • An extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response. Prepared Community • A prepared community is the one which is ready to face the next emergency • They usually focus on stockpiling • • • • • • emergency supplies, having clear alert networks ways to communicate with the public designating evacuation routes shelter locations. Community Health Community Health • is a term used to describe the state of health and how easy or difficult it is to be healthy where people live, learn, work and play. • The health of a community, including ease of access to medical care and community resources available for exercise and encouraging healthy habits, is an important part of emergency planning that can have a positive impact on a community before, during, and after a public health emergency. Role of Prepared Community • • • • • • • • Perform health risk assessments Establish an incident command system or related structure Actively engage and communicate effectively with the public Have functional epidemiologic and laboratory capacity to perform surveillance, detect emerging events, and appropriately diagnose patients Be able to deploy rapid response teams to investigate outbreaks Develop, stockpile, and distribute medical countermeasures (drugs and vaccines) Have “surge capacity” within the medical system to provide care for large populations during an emergency Maintain an appropriate workforce, financial resources, communication systems, and logistics to detect, respond to, and recover from events P Public Health Preparedness and Response Competency Map Session is open for discussion Thank you