Emergency Planning for the Diverse Needs of Communities

Emergency Planning for the Diverse Needs of Communities


Sessions:
 Wednesday, April 3, 2013 / 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital
Assembly Room
680 Centre Street
Brockton, MA 02302
508-941-7000

Thursday, April 11, 2013 / 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
DelValle Institute for Emergency Preparedness
35 Northampton Street
6th Floor, Boston Lawlor Regional Medical Intelligence Center
Boston, MA 02118
617-343-1370

Course Description:
Recent events have demonstrated the necessity for planning efforts to integrate the diverse needs of populations into each phase of emergency management (prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery). This course will introduce the Whole Community Emergency Planning Framework, a synthesis of strategic planning approaches to support inclusive emergency planning for communities.

The reality is that at least 50% of the population in the United States is likely to require some type of specialized assistance in an emergency. Of that 50%, 20% are likely to have access or functional needs that will affect their ability to prepare adequately for a disaster or their ability to recover prior functioning and stability. This concept is supported by a significant number of related laws, national policies, and planning initiatives, including “A Whole Community Approach to Emergency Management: Principles, Themes, and Pathways for Action” (FEMA, December 2011).

This course will emphasize the role and responsibility of emergency management and ESF 8 stakeholders to become aware of, recognize, and incorporate the diverse needs of their communities into emergency management processes including an overview of the national guidance and legal foundations that support and/or require these actions. The course will provide examples of best practices, lessons identified, tools, web-based resources, diverse needs concepts, and contact information that will help participants to strengthen their planning processes to protect the diverse needs of communities in the event of a disaster.

The Whole Community Emergency Planning Framework is built upon three major concepts:

  1. Participants will be provided with an overview of the CDC Public Health Workbook population categories to begin identifying the diverse demographics within communities including:
       o Economically Disadvantaged
       o Language and Literacy
       o Medical Issues and Disability (Physical, Mental, Cognitive, or Sensory)
       o Isolation
       o Age
  2. The course will use FEMA’s access and functional needs support services categories to frame course content. These categories include:
       o Maintaining independence
       o Communication
       o Transportation
       o Supervision
       o Medical care
  3. As a result of understanding the functional needs support services categories; planners can focus their efforts on key emergency management functions. These functions include:
       o Emergency Public Information and Warning
       o Sheltering
       o Evacuation
       o Disaster Case Management
       o Community Preparedness and Participation
Course Objectives:
By the conclusion of this course, the learner will be able to:

  • Complete the pre-assessment and identify the purpose of the course
  • Describe the most recent and relevant national guidance documents as well as the relationship between these documents and the Whole Community Emergency Planning Framework
  • Identify how to access, organize, and synthesize data on key demographics for social determinants of vulnerability within their planning area to create a community profile for access and functional needs preparedness efforts
  • Define access and functional needs categories and the legal requirements that support their implementation
  • Incorporate social determinants of vulnerability as well as access and functional needs into the emergency management functions
  • Develop inclusive planning process  using the Whole Community Emergency Planning Framework
  • Complete the post-assessment and review the purpose of the course
Audience:
Emergency planning, management and response including emergency medical services, public health, healthcare, law enforcement, fire services, non-governmental organizations (NGO)s, other ESF 8 (Public Health and Medical Services) partners, organizations representating individuals with diverse access and functional needs in the Metro Boston Homeland Security Region of Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Quincy, Revere, Somerville, and Winthrop.

Faculty:
S. Atyia Martin, Director, Office of Public Health Preparedness
Rebecca S. Phillips, Associate Director, DelValle Institute for Emergency Preparedness

Accreditation:
This program was designed to meet the requirements of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing, 244 CMR 5.00 for 7.20 hours of nursing continuing education.

The approval number for EMT credits in the amount of 6 hours is 134882.

The DelValle Institute for Emergency Preparedness is a program of Boston EMS, a Bureau of the Boston Public Health Commission. The Institute is funded through federal grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For more information regarding DelValle Institute funding, visit the Learning Center at http://delvalle.bphc.org.
 

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