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Andreas_Rebmann

It was a new way of addressing disaster in 1971 when it was founded. 

“It’s simple really: go where the patients are. It seems obvious, but at the time it was a revolutionary concept because borders got in the way. It’s no coincidence that we called it ‘Médecins Sans Frontières.’”

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ciera.williams

The program was created in reaction to the disaster at Fukushima-Daiichi, with influence of the lessons learned post-bombing in Hiroshima. Hiroshima University specializes in radiation casualty medicine and works to improve medical care in response to nuclear emergencies. This program was specifically made to generate leaders capable of directing relief efforts while keeping the clear goal of reconstruction post-disaster. 

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Andreas_Rebmann

This article covers the investigation procedure following a tragedy, and how the outcomes of these investigations tend to be muddled due to factors outside of logic and reason. These influencing factors make it difficult to draw conclusions as to what contributing factors were most significant in the damage sustained during the tragedy, and how to best avoid them in the future. For this reason, it addresses how difficult it is to improve disaster-response when so little useful information can be gleaned from the modern investigatory procedure. 

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ciera.williams

In Baltimore, researchers found that racism and poverty especially affected African Americans without insurance. In order to address this, they removed boundaries to care within the medical system and community so that poor patients could receive the care they needed without economic trouble. Along with this, they also established a system that relied on the community as a whole for care, taking the social stigma away from AIDS/HIV care and building ties as a whole. Within a few years, many disparities disappeared among the studied population.

Another study in rural Haiti was used to develop the PIH model of care. This model relies on an accompagnateur who is trained in drug delivery and supportive care. This allows care to be given within a village, not a clinic, and improves access to care. This model has worked to improve patient care and outcome in Haiti, Peru, and Boston.

In Rwanda, structural violence has perpetuated to transmission of disease from mother to child for decades. Access to resources such as clean water and formula, along with public health agencies promoting the merits of breastfeeding, have made it challenging to address MTCT. However, when researchers asked mothers if they would like these resources, they were eager to receive them and wanted to help in preventing further transmission. 

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ciera.williams

The data acquired in this study can be used not only for improvement in policies and training for healthcare workers, but also to examine the risk factors for the disease. One example is the age and gender disparities in those nfected. These could be explained by the typical age and gender of healthcare workers, but could also show a trend in risk when coupled with patient data. The data on the districts and their infection rates can be used to help pinpoint the origin of infection. 

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Andreas_Rebmann

They use aggregated interviews wherein all or many of the survivors repeat the same issues with long term effects of the disaster.

They also study the socioeconomic longterm effects of the disaster by comparing New Orleans years later to the past, showing how permanent an effect the storm had despite eventual recovery.

They also used sociological surveys that showed widespread mental health disorders that developed throughout the survivor population in greater frequency than that of the normal population due to the events that occured.