Jennifer Schroeder Tyson, MPH, is Director of Preparedness and Special Projects, AppHealthCare (Appalachian District Health Department), Boone, NC. Erin D. Bouldin, MPH, PhD, is Assistant Professor, Public Health Program, Department of Health and Exercise Science, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.
Health Secur. 2020 Mar/Apr;18(2):145-149. doi: 10.1089/hs.2020.0027.
Local public health agencies are a critical component of communities' ability to respond to and manage emergencies. This article outlines one public health agency's process for developing an all-inclusive, all-hazards public health plan to guide preparedness activities. The plan is interactive and searchable to enable it to be applied practically during an emergency. The new plan was developed using a collective action approach and is consistent with the whole community framework. It represents the perspectives of people with access and functional needs and better prepares local emergency management and response teams to anticipate these needs during emergencies. We created both a tabletop exercise and a full-scale exercise to train public health practitioners on the plan contents, as well as an exercise planning and implementation workbook that includes agendas, sample exercises, sample slides, and supporting documentation. These materials provide specific suggestions for supporting people with access and functional needs during emergency mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. In October 2017, more than 110 people participated in the tabletop exercise as part of the annual staff training at our local health department. One year later, we delivered a full-scale exercise. Nearly all relevant staff (95%) participated in both exercises, and 98% of participants reported that they had greater knowledge and resilience in mitigating and responding to public health emergencies as a result of their participation. We aim to include additional community members in future exercises to assure the plan meets everyone's needs. The current plan has increased the confidence level of local public health practitioners in responding to emergencies.
地方公共卫生机构是社区应对和管理突发事件能力的重要组成部分。本文概述了一个公共卫生机构制定全面、多灾种公共卫生计划的过程，以指导备灾活动。该计划具有交互性和可搜索性，以便在紧急情况下实际应用。新计划是使用集体行动方法制定的，符合全社区框架。它代表了有机会和功能需求的人的观点，并使地方应急管理和反应小组更好地准备在紧急情况下预测这些需求。我们创建了桌面演习和全面演习，以培训公共卫生从业人员了解计划内容，以及演习规划和实施工作手册，其中包括议程、示例演习、示例幻灯片和支持文件。这些材料为在紧急缓解、备灾、应对和恢复期间支持有机会和功能需求的人提供了具体建议。2017 年 10 月，超过 110 人参加了我们地方卫生部门年度员工培训的桌面演习。一年后，我们进行了一次全面演习。几乎所有相关人员（95%）都参加了这两次演习，98%的参与者表示，由于参与了演习，他们在减轻和应对突发公共卫生事件方面的知识和应对能力有所提高。我们的目标是在未来的演习中纳入更多的社区成员，以确保该计划满足每个人的需求。当前的计划提高了地方公共卫生从业人员应对紧急情况的信心水平。
