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PUBLIC HEALTH ARCHIVES

The 2012 PHP Summit: Sustaining Preparedness

A “big-screen” presentation, an all-star panel discussion, the Joplin tornado, preparedness gains – and the many gaps that still remain – were among the major highlights of the 2012 Public Health Preparedness Summit in Anaheim. Numerous workshops and town hall meetings were also on the hugely important schedule. Plan early

Taxis for the Sick

Thanks to the increased focus on homeland security in recent years, most Americans now understand the need to “triage” victims of a mass-casualty incident. Less understood is the triage approach as it applies to taking patients from an incident site to a healthcare facility: (a) immediate transport, with medical care

FINAL REPORT: Preparedness Goals Associated with the Nuclear Threat

In 2011, the world witnessed the devastating effects after Mother Nature triggered an accidental “nuclear attack” on Japan. That incident offers a glimpse of what could happen following a deliberate nuclear attack on U.S. soil. On 2 May 2012, Vayl Oxford led a distinguished panel of experts in New York

A New Standard of Care for Crisis Incidents

Most medium-sized or larger U.S. hospitals can handle multi-casualty incidents efficiently and effectively under normal circumstances. However, during major incidents such as earthquakes, hurricanes, or terrorist attacks, those same hospitals often require additional resources. Through interagency cooperation, new standards of care have been published to help better prepare for future

If & When Needed: The Building of Pandemic Barriers

Infectious diseases such as influenza are invisible, fast-moving, and often extremely lethal. The best and sometimes only way to kill them is to detect them early, stop them before they start to spread, isolate them at the first sign of an outbreak, and have at hand the trained medical professionals,

Healthcare Reform: Major Effects on Hospital Preparedness

No matter what the Supreme Court decides on the constitutionality of the healthcare reform act, U.S. hospitals must prepare now for major changes in their planning, everyday operations, and both budgetary and personnel resources. Many of those changes may be costly. Most will be time-consuming and/or difficult to implement. But

Protecting First Responders from Biological Agents

Bio-weapons are the new “hidden dangers” available to terrorist groups seeking to kill and create widespread havoc. They are low in cost, quickly available, difficult to detect, and – if properly designed – extremely lethal. Moreover, first responders are often the most likely victims – but can save themselves, and

Charting New Waters in Biosecurity

Many businessmen, and homeowners, would quickly buy and read a comprehensive report on how to prevent burglaries. Many burglars would buy and read the same book, but for different reasons. Those who carry out important scientific research face a similar dilemma: They want to help educate their peers, but do

Protecting the U.S. Agriculture and Food Sector

The well-known military axiom that an army “travels on its stomach” applies equally to a nation – more so now than ever before, primarily because of the massive increase in the international trade of food and agricultural products that has taken place in recent years. For this reason, the accidental

‘The Bomber Will Always Get Through’ – 80 Years Later, A Prophecy

Not quite 80 years ago, Britain’s de facto prime minister made some shocking comments about military policy before Parliament, and his countrymen. Since then, many “inexpensive” attacks have required “expensive” military defense. Today, the dangers facing the entire world are even greater and the cost, to all nations, of not

An Exercise in Utility: The Role of Public Health

The federal funding streams that improved U.S. preparedness capabilities, at all levels of government, so significantly in the first decade after the 9/11 attacks have already declined, and additional reductions are just over the horizon. But a lack of funds can be overcome, at least in part, by careful planning,

Foodborne Outbreaks in Minnesota: Training and Performance

There are almost 50 million foodborne illnesses “of various types” in the United States, and over 3,000 deaths annually. Those are the grim statistics that persuaded the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the FDA, and NACCHO to expand and upgrade programs already in place to detect, control, and

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