Emergency Response

Nathan Aaron Cates
Student ID#: 000253987
Community Health Nursing
Professor Tracy Lookingbill
7/12/2013
Abstract In the event of a major disaster the public/community health nurse and practice has to evolve into the sum of all its parts. Each individual skill, such as care coordinator, safety monitor, resource allocation and management, home health specialist, community educator, and case management are all put to the test. The public health nurse must step into multiple roles to ensure that the community has the resources, personnel and medical attention to promote and sustain wellness within their given populations. Overall, the public health nurse must ensure that the community’s safety and overall well-being are the focus after such a traumatic event.
Explain the role of the major public health personnel, including the public health nurse, involved in the disaster When looking at roles related to public health and the community disaster the chain of command becomes a primary focus. Initially, the Incident Command System would be put in place to establish individual roles so as to determine a structured chain of command. Under the direction of the established Operations and Logistics chiefs, the Public Health Director would be established and put in place to ensure public safety and to work between operations and logistics to coordinate resources. The Public Health Directors overall responsibility would be as the person who assesses the needs of the given population, allocates and disperses public safety resources, establish a public health awareness campaign, and coordinates local vendors, businesses, and private parties who may be able to contribute to community recovery after the disaster has subsided. The public health nurse falls under the Public Health Director and is responsible for assessment, planning, intervention, and evaluation of the plan of care for a given populace during and after a disaster. He or she would establish a plan of care in regards to public safety, disease prevention and treatment, public education, and case management with regards to resource recruitment and allotment.
Describe the chain of command that was used in the simulation for the community health nurse Once the disaster was acknowledged, an Incident Command System would be initiated. First, depending on their knowledge base, certain chiefs would be put in place. First, an operations chief would be established to develop and implement strategies and tactics to carry out objectives related to certain incidents. The Public Health would answer directly to this chief and would plan for sanitation, contamination, water, food and shelter allocation and allotment. Also under the operations chief, a public health information officer would be established to answer any questions the public might have in regards to public safety, resources available, and the planning process. Next, a logistics chief would be established to acquire resources that would be needed by each individual chief. An Administrative chief would be established to ensure that proper financial and contractual practices were in place, and this chief would also track the resources acquired by the Logistics chief. A Liaison officer would be put in place as a point of contact for support services and would be responsible for briefings to the different section chiefs as necessity dictates. Next, a planning chief officer would be put in place that would gather, analyze and disseminate information regarding the planning process. Finally, a Public Information Officer would be established to ensure that the public and collaborating agencies have the correct information so that everybody is on the same page.
Discuss the resources available to the community health nurse to deal with situations outside the nurse’s scope of practice The community Health Nurse becomes the ultimate case manager during a disaster or crisis event. The