The context in which a chemical incident occurs will determine which response and recovery plans are appropriate and define the activities that follow. The need for mass care in response to a chemical incident occurs against a backdrop of operational constraints governed by other public health considerations. While public health emergencies are rare, the fact that a chemical incident can be triggered by another disaster (for example, an earthquake or a hurricane, as described in the Prologue) implies that mass care needs arising from a chemical incident may often occur in the context of a larger ongoing event that has its own mass care needs. In 2020, for example, response and recovery to natural disasters incidents in the United States required adaptations to mass care and emergency assistance service plans – particularly mass sheltering assistance – due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.81 If there are stresses on PPE supplies due to other ongoing events, both responders to the chemical incident and mass care service providers may face shortages in PPE that hamper their ability to do their jobs safely.
Idea
Coordination Opportunity
SLTT leadership should establish coordination and management mechanisms that can be used across multiple all-hazards incidents and that focus support on SLTT-prioritized outcomes. A State Disaster Recovery Coordinator (SDRC) or Tribal Disaster Recovery Coordinator (TDRC) could lead recovery organization and priority setting and serve as the jurisdiction’s primary point of contact with state and federal agencies to resolve unmet recovery outcomes.
Take Action
Establish plans to augment mass care and human services by:
Becoming familiar with state, regional, and local plans for mass care and human services, including services for animals, and including any plans specific to chemical incidents Determining requirements for, and sources of, the resources for mass care and human services after a chemical incident needed for event response and recovery, including emergency assistance and temporary housing programs as well as supplies of decontamination equipment and PPE Planning for the varying requirements and special physical and mental health needs of individuals affected by a chemical incident, including those who require and utilize the assistance of family members, personal assistants, and/or service animals Establishing links and referral mechanisms between mental health specialists, general health-care providers, community-based support groups, and other services (e.g., schools, human services and emergency relief services such as those providing food, water and housing/shelter)
Consider
What Will You Need to Know?
What are the sizes and locations of populations in your region? Where will the community reception centers and/or shelters be?What are their capacities? What all-hazards mass care plans are in place in your region? What will be needed in different chemical events?For example, what will be the contamination spread considerations? How will community reception centers and/or shelters identify potential sources of contamination and limit contamination spread? How will shelter/reception center staff be protected against potential contamination? What if staff resources for community reception centers and/or shelters are injured or do not want to come in during a chemical incident? How will you conduct health screenings of evacuees that may enter sheltering locations?How will you know if there are any workforce or resource constraints? What purposes will the centers and/or shelters fill in various chemical incidents?Personal protection? Contamination screening? Decontamination? Limited medical evaluation and care? Emergency first aid? Temporary housing? Disaster welfare information? Food service? Health and mental health services? Ongoing health surveillance? How will assistance from voluntary organizations be coordinated?Do the agencies/organizations have specific policies regarding assistance during a chemical incident? What additional human services and SLTT public health resources, including counseling and mental health resources, are available in your region?What are their capabilities and capacities? How do you contact them? What is the plan for handling anticipated behavior impacts?How will they be managed and resourced? How will you gather and synthesize information in order to continue evaluating and providing medical and behavioral health services to affected populations? What are the reunification plans of daycare centers, schools, businesses, etc, in your region? What are the pertinent memos of understanding (MOUs)/memos of agreement (MOAs) required to facilitate for medical care, services, etc., in the aftermath of a chemical incident? Do you have reopening and reconstitution criteria that support the recovery of businesses impacted by a chemical incident in an environment characterized by additional, longer-term public health restrictions?
Consider
What Would You Do?
…if the occupants of a city block need to be decontaminated and evacuated?
…if a family and their dog arrive at a shelter but have not been decontaminated yet?
81. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2020, September 1). Stockpile Products. Public Health Emergency, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response .
书籍遍历链接: 4. Special Mass Care and Emergency Assistance Considerations