The University of Washington School of Public Health Department of Health Services, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
The University of Washington School of Public Health Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Jan 23;16(3):299. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16030299.
Disaster recovery provides an opportunity to build healthier and more resilient communities. However, opportunities and challenges encountered by local health departments (LHDs) when integrating health considerations into recovery have yet to be explored. Following Hurricane Harvey, 17 local health and emergency management officials from 10 agencies in impacted Texas, USA jurisdictions were interviewed to describe the types and level of LHD engagement in disaster recovery planning and implementation and the extent to which communities leveraged recovery to build healthier, more resilient communities. Interviews were conducted between December 2017 and January 2018 and focused on if and how their communities were incorporating public health considerations into the visioning, planning, implementation, and assessment phases of disaster recovery. Using a combined inductive and deductive approach, we thematically analyzed interview notes and/or transcripts. LHDs reported varied levels of engagement and participation in activities to support their community's recovery. However, we found that LHDs rarely articulated or informed decision makers about the health impacts of recovery activities undertaken by other sectors. LHDs would benefit from additional resources, support, and technical assistance designed to facilitate working across sectors and building resilience during recovery.
灾难恢复为建设更加健康和有韧性的社区提供了契机。然而，在将健康因素纳入恢复过程中，地方卫生部门（LHD）所面临的机遇和挑战仍有待探索。在美国德克萨斯州受飓风哈维影响的地区，17 名来自 10 个机构的地方卫生和应急管理官员接受了采访，以描述 LHD 参与灾难恢复规划和实施的类型和程度，以及社区利用恢复机会建设更加健康、有韧性社区的程度。采访于 2017 年 12 月至 2018 年 1 月进行，重点关注他们的社区是否以及如何将公共卫生考虑因素纳入灾难恢复的设想、规划、实施和评估阶段。我们采用归纳和演绎相结合的方法，对访谈记录和/或抄本进行了主题分析。LHD 报告了其在支持社区恢复的活动中参与和参与程度的差异。然而，我们发现，LHD 很少向决策者阐明或告知其他部门开展的恢复活动对健康的影响。LHD 将受益于更多旨在促进跨部门合作和在恢复期间建立韧性的资源、支持和技术援助。
