Disaster Recovery Plan

NURS FPX 4060 Assessment 3 Disaster Recovery Plan

Peeches Hedlam

School of Nursing and Health Sciences, Capella University

Sept, 2021

Slide 1

Villa Health Disaster Recovery Plan presented by Name Peeches Headlam.

Slide 2

When a disaster strikes, the government, lead by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), responds, by the US Department of Interior. A disaster is defined as an occurrence that is out of the usual and restricts access to critical procedures. The actions that take place before, during, and after a disaster are referred to as recovery. Recovery generally begins as soon as the emergency response operations are completed. The disaster recovery process focuses on repairing and rejuvenating communities such as the Villa Health neighbourhood that have been touched by the tragedy. The ideal catastrophe recovery strategy will provide solutions rather than new issues. Fire, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, storms, lightning, and plane accidents are just a few examples of disasters (U.S. Department of the Interior, 2020). The Villa Health Community was devastated by a weather-related tragedy, and they needed help to recover. It’s apparent that their disaster recovery strategy has to be modified after meeting with hospital and community leaders.

Slide 3. Barriers to Safety

Health factors are known to have an influence on people’s health and how they respond to catastrophes before and after they occur. Cultural boundaries are the first. The way one responds to an approaching tragedy can be influenced by one’s beliefs, religious views, ethnic heritage, and community. Then there’s the issue of social boundaries. Mental health, long-term health concerns, and alcohol consumption and usage are all affected by disasters. Disasters are a leading source of mental health issues, affecting huge groups of individuals. As a result of the detrimental influence on mental health, mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety are predicted to rise. The third type of obstacle is the financial one. The financial impact on the organisation and families is significant. The assault on September 11, 2001, claimed the lives of 3000 people and resulted in the loss of 430 000 jobs and a $30 billion economic loss. The Madrid train terror bombings in 2004 killed 192 people, wounded 1500 more, and caused billions of dollars in economic damage. Natural disasters have a major negative impact on a country’s actual gross domestic product (GDP). Then there are the physical obstacles. People with disabilities have a physical disadvantage over people who do not have impairments. When tragedy strikes, they are frequently forced to remain at home, increasing the risk of death or injury. Individuals with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by catastrophes, with a death rate two to four times that of non-disabled persons. Vulnerable people are more likely to get diseases and illnesses. When planning for catastrophes, health factors such as cultural and societal views, economic position, and physical condition must all be taken into account.

NURS FPX 4060 Assessment 3 Disaster Recovery Plan

Slide 4

Benefits of Disaster Recovery Plan

Disaster recovery planning will aid organisations in recovering quickly after a disaster by delegating tasks and roles during the recovery phase, identifying and triaging patients based on injuries sustained, identifying hospitals based on triage level, identifying community resources that are available post disaster, connecting displaced individuals with housing resources, addressing social, cultural, economic issue post disaster at months 3, 6, 9, 12 and so on.

Slide 5 

The availability of resources in catastrophe planning/response is determined by state and local governments. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has created regulations with local governments for emergency planning and response programmes that are accessible to persons with disabilities. For example, in the emergency preparedness process, those with disabilities should be included. It creates a strategy for evacuating people with impairments. It assists in the identification and planning of secure shelter for people with impairments and makes a strategy to get people back to their homes. The other is the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, which establishes a systemic approach to catastrophe response and collaborates with FEMA to reduce disaster effect (Robert, 2020). It locates emergency aid and disaster relief organisations, addresses unmet needs, and prepares families and communities for long-term survival.

Slide 6

The MAP-IT framework, which was adopted from the Health People 2020 project, is used to design and assess public health initiatives such as disaster recovery. The mobilisation of collaborating partners is the initial stage in the process. This entails defining what the rehabilitation effort’s ultimate aim should be. In the instance of the Villa Health community that has been impacted by the storms, the first priority should be to work with local EMS organisations to develop a strategy to reach and care for individuals who have been injured and require emergency medical assistance. Discussions with hospital employees should include their triage procedure as well as which hospitals will be receiving patients. Furthermore, a search and rescue team should be established with the expectation of being sent into the community after the immediate threat has passed. State and government authorities will be among the collaborative partners, as the disaster’s consequences will most certainly exceed the community’s resources. 

Slide 7

The MAP-IT framework’s second phase is to assess. During this process, the following questions are asked: who is affected? What resources are required to achieve objectives? What resources are available to achieve the objectives? These questions help the team understand what can and cannot be done, as well as what the team wants to do. Working as a team is also an important aspect of this process of cooperation. This entails each community leader and major stakeholder identifying the most pressing concerns and working together to address them. EMS leaders, hospital administration and clinical leaders, utility company executives, and other community leaders should all be involved in this circumstance. The Villa Health population is varied, with its own set of demands and resources (Diedrich, 2020). There are a large number of older persons who live in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. These patients will require medicine as well as electricity to power equipment such as oxygen tanks. There are also a lot of uninsured patients who don’t have enough money, which makes them more susceptible to sickness. Finally, a small number of homeless persons in the Villa Health neighbourhood will need to be relocated to shelters before the storms hit.

Slide 8

During the assessment phase, it’s critical to think about the health factors that will have an influence on the community’s recovery efforts. Just as public health practitioners realise the need of taking these social factors into account when delivering high-quality health care, disaster recovery efforts should also take this into account to avoid creating or exacerbating inequalities. It entails the following: Collaboration with municipal managers as a resource for social services information. It is critical that they be in the same place to enable conversation. This improves teamwork and provides immediate help as well as the possibility for long-term resource enhancement. The participation of community members is also crucial in reducing the impact of socioeconomic inequality. This may be accomplished by forming a Community Emergency Response Team made up of local residents. This can be done in advance of a disaster so that the team can be ready to respond during the recovery period. The courses and training should be all inclusive and accessible, in a building that is centrally situated and accessible to all, including those with disabilities, to guarantee that community members are eager to participate. There should be translators on hand, and training schedules should be flexible to suit individuals who work or have school-aged children (Wolkin, 2019). Finally, it is critical to include suitable community members as representatives of these vulnerable populations in community planning sessions. This enables planners to understand the community’s vulnerable strengths and needs.

NURS FPX 4060 Assessment 3 Disaster Recovery Plan

Slide 9

Those with pre-existing social, health, or economic inequalities are particularly susceptible during catastrophes. During catastrophes, addressing the needs of these vulnerable populations entails concentrating on any impediments that may present. A widespread distrust of the government is one of these hurdles. Diverse groups don’t always feel valued, and they don’t always have the political clout to get resources. Another impediment might be the dilemma of a multi-layered tragedy. Disasters tend to wreak havoc on communities that were already struggling before the calamity. People are vulnerable depending on where they live, work, and play.  Finally, the capacity of a population to recover is influenced by organisational resilience. After a tragedy, organisations that serve vulnerable populations may find themselves in a precarious situation as well. They may discover that they have used all of their own resources and are unable to respond to a crisis. As a result, they may be unable to meet the day-to-day requirements of the people they serve. 

Slide 10

During the assessment phase, it was decided that the Villa Health neighbourhood would require EMS and hospital access as soon as the storms’ immediate threat had passed. It has also been established that search and rescue teams will need to be organised and ready to aid people who are unable to help themselves. Companies that provide power and utilities will need to be prepared to deploy.

 Slide 11

The MAP-IT framework’s planning section consists of many phases. In this case, establishing and mobilising an incident command centre is critical. This command centre should be in a central place that is accessible to everybody, and it should incorporate EMS and hospital management. The command centre should also be manned by disaster recovery experts as well as representatives of the community, such as 911 operators, nurses, and other essential individuals. As needed, the centre should be in charge of moving utility companies to the most susceptible regions. This includes nursing homes, assisted living institutions, and other facilities that rely on electricity to provide care and communicate during storms. They should also be in charge of answering requests for assistance. Hospitals should be prepared by having employees ready and waiting on standby. Storm policies are in place in most hospital systems, allowing personnel to report ahead of time and stay for the length of the storm. A second crew reports and takes over after the storm has passed. Before the storm, proper triage training is essential to guarantee that all individuals who require emergency assistance receive it.

Slide 12

NURS FPX 4060 Assessment 3 Disaster Recovery Plan

Health and government policies have a range of effects on catastrophe recovery. The Stafford Act gives the federal government the legal ability to help states during designated catastrophic disasters and emergencies. If the situation is beyond the combined response capabilities of state and local government authorities, this aid is given under the Stafford Act. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is in charge of coordinating the administration of disaster assistance resources (FEMA). When the president of the United States proclaims an emergency under the Stafford Act, numerous billions of dollars from the community fund become accessible for use. (Stafford, 2020) This fund offers individuals with urgent cash help for housing or other tragedy needs. The FEMA Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 changes the Stafford Act by allowing survivors with disabilities more freedom, reducing inequalities among vulnerable groups. This increases the amount of aid available to disaster-affected individuals and families, including permitting accessibility modifications for persons with disabilities to be deducted from their maximum disaster assistance grant award. It also provides for more flexibility in terms of building what is required rather than merely restoring or replacing what is already there (“FEMA, 2018”).

Slide 13

Tracking progress over time is the last component of the MAP-IT methodology. In the aftermath of a storm, recovery activities must be well-organized and trackable. Teams of search and rescue personnel should be split into groups and provided mappable regions in which to perform operations. It is critical to notify the command centre after an area has been searched so that no more attempts are undertaken. Utility providers should be treated similarly in order to restore electricity and water. Areas that can be mapped should be provided so that repair work may be tracked. Unfortunately, communication hurdles do exist and must be addressed during calamities such as hurricanes (Fischer, Possega, & Fischback, 2016). It is critical that information be sent quickly in the event of a crisis. Researchers have discovered three main forms of communication obstacles during catastrophes and disaster crisis management. Because of perceived disparities among those involved in crisis response groups or the general public, social obstacles to communication emerge. Problems arising from the use of technology for crisis management result in technological obstacles. During crisis management, organisational barriers emerge between organisations. The first, technical obstacles, emphasises the importance of technology in crisis response and recovery, especially in today’s environment. The only way to overcome distance and communicate with people reacting to and managing the crisis is through technology. Infrastructure failure is regarded as a technological stumbling block that must be solved as soon as feasible. This can happen as a result of radio and mobile phone outages, communication system failure owing to wind, water, or earlier mismanagement, the lack of backup communication networks, and infrastructure support interruption. Overcoming these obstacles necessitates prior preparation and contingency measures. 

Slide 14

Finally, in order to be organised and effective, disaster recovery plans should employ the MAP-IT framework. This framework includes strategies for mobilising partners, assessing community needs, developing and implementing a plan to meet agreed-upon goals, and monitoring plan progress. In order to promote recovery goals, a healthy interaction between the Villa Health community and leaders may be created. A successful recovery plan makes use of government resources while also addressing health inequalities, community needs, and communication obstacles. A positive outcome for all will result from well-organized planning and implementation.

NURS FPX 4060 Assessment 3 Disaster Recovery Plan

References

Diedrich, M. (2020). The four phases of emergency management . Retrieved from https://www.stlouisco.com/LawandPublicSafety/EmergencyManagement/TheFivePhases of EmergencyManagement

Disaster recovery reform act of 2018 transforms field of emergency management . (2018). Retrieved from https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2018/10/05/disaster-recoveryreform- act-2018-transforms-field-emergency-management

Fischer, D., Possega, O., & Fischbach, K. (2016, June 15). Communication barriers in crisis management: a literature review. Association for Information Systems . Retrieved from https://aisel.aisnet.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1166&context=ecis2016_rp

MAP-IT: a guide to using Healthy People 2020 in your community . (2020). Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/tools-and-resources/Program-Planning

Robert T. Stafford disaster relief and emergency assistance act. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.astho.org/Programs/Preparedness/Public-Health-Emergency-

Wolkin, A. (2018). Mission possible: preparing and responding to disasters through a health equity lens. Retrieved from https://blogs.cdc.gov/healthequity/2018/09/06/disasters/