Search

This report does not specifically address disaster, however it shows a new trend in primary care medicine, taking it out of doctor's offices and hospital emergency rooms and bringing it into people's residences. Recent trends have shown massive increases in ED usage for non emergency conditions, causing a shortage in beds and resources. The communuty paramedic program has the purpose of "respond[ing] to identified health needs in underserved communities, ultimately improving the quality of life and health of rural and remote citizens and visitors." The report also cites previous community paramedic programs in Fort Worth, TX, and Nova Scotia, Canada, where the program was shown to decrease ED usage by 23% and reduce costs by over $2 million. 

I researched more into the use of vaccination to protect first responders, existing response structures implimented by the WHO, and the history of biological warfare. 

1. I tried to find more information on the current radio system that the FDNY and NYPD employ to see how they would facilitate interagency communication and communication with mutual aid from departments in surrounding counties.

2. I did more research into the NYPD ESU

3. I attempted to find more information on any FDNY response policies developed after 9/11/01 to limit and coordinate response to major disasters to avoid the confustion found at the WTC response.

The arguement is supported by the use of statistics, case studies, and stories of immigrants going through the system.

This study is primarily about vulnerable populations, showing that in areas where people have been effected by major disasters, domestic violance increases, especially in households with lower overall socioeconomic status.

Amerindian populations in Canada have been plauged with mental illness and suicide for many decades, and  even though there were studies done and extensive research available, there was very little done to respond to this crisis, allowing it to keep reoccuring. 

Three major ways the arguements are supported are as follows

1. Statistics and analisys of policies pertaining to the healthcare system available to the effected populaitons
2. Historical background to establish where such policies came from and how they may continue to work in the future
3. First hand accounts from both those effected by chernobyl related illness and the health care practitioners who treat them.

I followed up on this article by reading more about the Fukushima disaster, and I looked further into existing regulatory bodies such as the IAEA and and the Nuclear Energy Institute.

I followe up on the practice of palliative medicine, how hospital ethics boards deal with palliative care, particularly focussing on cancer and oncology departments, and the role of hospice and nursing homes in the palliative care process.