The author of the article is Sonja D. Schmid. She is an associate professor in the Department of Science and Technology in Society at Virginia Tech. She holds a Ph D in STS from Cornell University. Dr. Schmid speaks fluent Russian and primarily investigates the history and organization of Soviet and Eastern European nuclear affairs, as well as the the challenges of global nuclear emergency response.
The narrative is sustained through emotional stories of end of life care from both the physician and patient perspectives performed by both Dr. Atul Gawande and by other healthcare professionals such as oncologists, palliative care experts, other surgeons. The scientific background of end of life care isn't really discussed in detail, as this film focuses more on the social and emotional aspects of this topic.
According to its mission statement, "The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors."
This article utilizes excerpts from interviews to illustrate the story narrative of an illness, showing how emotion and values are reflected in the creation of a "plot" of the narrative, and uses statistics and broader research to analize these stories from a broader, more societal perspective.
The red cross relies on notification systems of disaster to mobilize their volunteers such as those created by FEMA, NOAA, and other goverment services, transportation infrastructure and technology to move supplies and people from place to place, established red cross infrastructure of supply stockpiles, specialized vehicles, and training centers.
This discusses the rape and gender based violance in the context of humanitarian response. It looks at how rape and gender based violance is seen by the humanitarian communty and the complexities of determining how it should be treated, if at all. The article discusses the factors leading to gender based violance and the different approaches that the humanitarian community could pursue it with, finding the pros and cons of each, citing the need to maintain neutrality, be apolitical, and be equal in care, treatment, and aid for all groups affected.
Based on available resources, it does not appear that this paper has been discussed or cited in any publically available research or forums. While it is widely published and is readily available, this is a relitively new text, which could contribute to this.
Depending on the source, there have been greatly mixed reviews on this topic, even from within the Fire/EMS profession. While some feel that this is a great way for paramedics and EMTs to make their job safer, many also feel that the risks of bringing firearms into a profession where its providers are taught to "first, do no harm" is counterproductive and even dangerous.
The information from this article was drawn from various primary sources such as letters, historical and modern news reports pertaining to the cases being studied, and other peer reviewed articles.