L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, Virginia Commonwealth University, PO Box 842028, Richmond, VA 23284-2028, USA.
Public Health Rep. 2010 Apr;125 Suppl 3(Suppl 3):92-104. doi: 10.1177/00333549101250S312.
The role of the American Red Cross in the U.S. response to the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic holds important lessons for current-day pandemic response. This article, which examines local ARC responses in Boston, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Richmond, Virginia, demonstrates how the ARC coordinated nursing for military and civilian cases; produced and procured medical supplies and food; transported patients, health workers, and bodies; and aided influenza victims' families. But the organization's effectiveness varied widely among localities. These findings illustrate the persistently local character of pandemic response, and demonstrate the importance of close, timely, and sustained coordination among local and state public health authorities and voluntary organizations before and during public health emergencies. They further illustrate the persistently local character of these emergencies, while underscoring the centrality and limits of voluntarism in American public health.
美国红十字会在美国应对 1918-1919 年流感大流行中的作用为当前的大流行应对提供了重要的经验教训。本文通过考察波士顿、匹兹堡、圣路易斯和弗吉尼亚州里士满的地方红十字会的应对措施，展示了美国红十字会如何协调军队和民用病例的护理工作；生产和采购医疗用品和食品；运输病人、卫生工作者和尸体；以及帮助流感受害者的家庭。但是，该组织在各地的有效性差异很大。这些发现说明了大流行应对的持续本地化特征，并表明在公共卫生紧急情况之前和期间，地方和州公共卫生当局以及志愿组织之间进行密切、及时和持续协调的重要性。它们进一步说明了这些紧急情况的持续本地化特征，同时强调了志愿主义在美国公共卫生中的核心地位和局限性。
