Emergency response is not directly addressed in this article, but humanitarian aid is. Through the analysis of this aid, we can see which areas are in need of help and responders. Because humanitarian aid is a form of responders as well, it is important to understand their function in the context of emergencies and crises. It can also be implied that those receiving aid did at one point need emergency response teams.
"Among inhabitants of Kyiv and other urban centers, there is a growing consensus that the invalids are "parasites of the state, dam aging the economy, not paying taxes." Many youths who had been evacuated from the zone do not want to be associated with groups of sufferers as this association makes it more difficult for them to find employment.
"Another administrator who authenticated com pensation claims told me illnesses had become a form of currency. "There are a lot of people out of work," he said. "People don't have enough money to eat. The state doesn't give medicines for free anymore. Drug stores are commercialized." He likened his work to that of a bank. "The diagnosis we write is money.""
"Symon Lavrov, was well-regarded internationally for having developed computerized fallout models and calculating population-wide doses in the post-Soviet period. He told me, how ever, that "when a crying mother comes to my laboratory and asks me, Professor Lavrov, 'tell me what's wrong with my child?' I assign her a dose and say nothing more. I double it, as much as I can." The offer of a higher dose increased the likelihood that the mother would be able to secure social protection on account of her potentially sick child.""
There have been a number of controversial events and policies that have affected ARC policy. One of the most notable ones is the controversy in blood donation from gay men. The FDA requires that no blood can be taken from a man who has had sex with anohter man since 1977. The ARC petitioned the FDA in 2006 for the removal of the policy, though nothing has been done to address it yet.
I did not find the portions of the President speaking very compelling. While I understand that the speeches provided context, it did not show any perspective from the governmental side. Had they provided interviews from government officials, that would have helped the argument and framed a better picture for the viewer.
They are shown for a moment in which they bring in trauma patients, but are not a main player in this documentary.
Stories are important in medicine. Numbers are important too, but sometimes the stories can tell particular cases of success, where numbers would brush over or fail to show the significance. Stories can tell much more than numbers sometimes, and that must be regocnized and appreciated. Especially in specialties where it is hard to always measure data, quotes, stories, and recollections can be more accurate.
The artice cites WHO preparadness plans and Doctors without Borders as sources of policy on emergency response, in the context of global health. With the rise in infectious disease, there is a risk for "global threat" that is not directly targeted at a group, but rather engineered through social and economic factors. This means that emrgency preparadness is key. However, the article metions the use of Emergency repsonse as a bit of a cop-out. It is much easier to plan for the worst than prevent it from happening. The author states "... measures focused on mitigating potential emergencies are easier to implement rhan longer-term structural interventions."
On the website, OSHA describes their mission as to "assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance."
While this article does not really address emergency response, the discussion of violent attacks on humanitarian workers does involve emergency responders and can affect how humanitarians provide care. So while not direct, this article does have implications for emergency responders in those regions.
The article was based on answers to questions to the FDNY and NYPD, as well as the report filed by the EMTs.