The Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) was enacted by Congress to ensure that patients are granted and provided access to appropriate emergency services and medical care regardless of their ability to pay for the cost of said services and care.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security that was founded on June 19, 1978. The agency's primary purpose is to coordinate the emergency and recovery response efforts to a disaster that occurs within the United States.
The author supports the main argument primarily by relying on anecdotal evidence from interviews with patients and individuals and on statistics on patients in the regions focused on by the author.
The authors relied principally on data procured through two research workshops conducted and on anecdotal evidence gathered.
The aforementioned research article was created by Andrew Lakoff of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and Stephen Collier of The New School in New York City. Mr. Lakoff has a background in social theory, medical anthropology, and cultural anthropology. Mr. Collier holds a doctorate degree in philosophy from the University of California Berkeley and was a former chair and associate professor in the Department of International Affairs at The New School. The two authors have collaborated previously on several research articles pertaining to global health, security, and biopolitics.
The article does not focus on the immediate emergency response (law, fire, rescue, EMS), and instead focuses on the follow-up investigative response to major disasters, though this does often include fire investigation teams.
Originally published in French, this article was authored by Dr. Didier Fassin, physician of internal medicine, French anthropologist, sociologist, and an expert in public health. Dr. Fassin is also a professor of social science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ. He has authored and edited numerous research articles and publications, in addition to receiving several awards for his work.
A professor of anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Adriana Petryna holds a doctorate degree in Anthropology from UC Berkeley and a masters degree in Anthropology as well as a bachelor of science degree in Architecture from the University of Michigan. She has conducted her research on medical anthropology and social sciences, as well as on nuclear science.
In 2013, Figure 1 launched with $2 million (CDN) in seed money invested by Rho Canada Ventures and Version One Ventures. In 2015, the company added $5 million (USD) to its Series A financing round, which was invested by Union Square Ventures, bringing the total investment round to $9 million (USD).
As a volunteer non-profit organization, the BSVAC relies heavily on funds donated to it by residents and businesses.