Search

This article does not address emergency response. The main focus of this article is the effect of social policy change on public/immigration health.

The policy establishes the World Trade Center Health Program within the Department of Health and Human Services. It provides “medical monitoring and treatment benefits to eligible emergency responders and recovery and cleanup workers… who responded to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and… initial health evaluation, monitoring, and treatment benefits to residents and other building occupants and area workers in New York City who were directly impacted and adversely affected by such attacks”

The program also establishes measures to prevent Fraud and a Quality Assurance program was also implemented. This includes measures to assure adherence to protocol, appropriate referrals, prompt communication of results to patients, and any other elements the program administrator deems necessary, with consultation from other sources.

1. "Having the capacity to continue functioning after a traumatic event is common and characteristic of normal coping and adaptation"
2. "The first challenge lies in identifying the correct sampling frame, which generally comprises all persons affected by the disaster. The sampling frame may be even more difficult to identify in natural disasters, when the geographic area of impact is larger and less defined."
3. "These studies can help us understand what factors are associated with different courses of mental illness, which can help us identify the most vulnerable populations and inform tailored interventions"

The film doesn't look much at the people's experience with MSF. There are no interviews of the patient's themsleves. The film touches on the local health officials' opinons, but not much on the actual patients'. It doesn't highlight their sturggles as much as I believe it should. 

The hardest thing that they have to deal with is trying to convince uneducated legistalors on topics that can affect millions of lives. The material that seems simple to them must be conveyed in a mundane matter.

This article examines "chronic disaster syndrome," a situation that arises in the wake of a large-scale disaster that perpetuates the life in an emergency through government institutionalized and private-sector supported barriers. The article first looks at some of the physical and mental conditions that were created or exacerbated by the disaster. It then follows up with the government's betrayal of the people, first in providing support to the victims, and then actively barring victims from recovery. The article ends with the future in the wake of this disaster, including the "perpetuating of emergency" and continued institutions in place as a result of the hurricane. 

A way to improve would be to include more national statistics as it seems very localized with its current content.

Adriana Petryna is a professor of anthropology at UC Berkeley. Her primary research area is on medical anthropology, social studies in science/technology, and eastern europe. 

Some data that can be collected by audio recordings and geo-locations.