Disaster in Franklin County Essay Example
Community Health-Disaster in Franklin County
Connie DiPietrantonio
Western Governors University
HAT 4 – Community Health Nursing
November 2011
Disaster in Franklin County
The Role of Health Personnel and the Public Nurse
The major role of the public health personnel in a disaster are varied and included the immediate safety and well-being of the members of the community, as well as attention to potential future long term issues. The public health nurse is one of the members of the public health personnel that would help as a member of strike or task force or even possibly as an individual entity, depending on the need. In this disaster the public health personnel had to deal with multiple problems both during the initial period and after the immediate danger had past. Initially public health had the immediate concerns of food and water safety and power supply. The absence of power creates issues with food spoilage, clean water and a properly working septic system. Additionally, there is a need to set up immediate emergency shelters for people that will be displaced from their homes due to damage or flooding. It was beneficial that the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) Incident Commander requested the presence of the Public Health Director early on. It was also advantageous to the community that the public health staff had previously had National Incident Management System (NIMS) training. It was easy then to set up an Incident Command System within the public health division to match the complexities and demands of the EOC-ICS. Even though the most ideal personnel were not totally available, there were an appropriate number to set up section chiefs and command staff. With the common language that occurs with NIMS trained personnel, each member of the team was clear about their duties and what was expected of them. “During disaster events, public health has a dual responsibility to not only respond to specific public health
Connie DiPietrantonio
Western Governors University
HAT 4 – Community Health Nursing
November 2011
Disaster in Franklin County
The Role of Health Personnel and the Public Nurse
The major role of the public health personnel in a disaster are varied and included the immediate safety and well-being of the members of the community, as well as attention to potential future long term issues. The public health nurse is one of the members of the public health personnel that would help as a member of strike or task force or even possibly as an individual entity, depending on the need. In this disaster the public health personnel had to deal with multiple problems both during the initial period and after the immediate danger had past. Initially public health had the immediate concerns of food and water safety and power supply. The absence of power creates issues with food spoilage, clean water and a properly working septic system. Additionally, there is a need to set up immediate emergency shelters for people that will be displaced from their homes due to damage or flooding. It was beneficial that the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) Incident Commander requested the presence of the Public Health Director early on. It was also advantageous to the community that the public health staff had previously had National Incident Management System (NIMS) training. It was easy then to set up an Incident Command System within the public health division to match the complexities and demands of the EOC-ICS. Even though the most ideal personnel were not totally available, there were an appropriate number to set up section chiefs and command staff. With the common language that occurs with NIMS trained personnel, each member of the team was clear about their duties and what was expected of them. “During disaster events, public health has a dual responsibility to not only respond to specific public health