Regional Disaster Response Coordination to Support Health Outcomes: Summary of a Workshop Series (2015)
Chapter: C-- Statement of Task
An ad hoc committee will organize and conduct a series of three regional, public workshops that will explore opportunities to strengthen regional coordination required to ensure effective medical and public health response to a large-scale multi-jurisdictional disaster. Each regional workshop will include discussion of mechanisms to strengthen coordination between multiple jurisdictions in individual regions to ensure fair and equitable treatment of communities from all impacted jurisdictions. In particular, the workshop discussions will explore:
- Lessons learned and best practices from past large-scale disasters, including the creation of local partnerships and agreements.
- Planning strategies that local, state, and national officials use to strengthen regional disaster preparedness for large-scale medical and public health disasters, including
- Potential challenges associated with mass patient care required in multiple jurisdictions in a single region, including the impact on patient transportation systems;
- The use of emergency shelters, and specifically the value of medical needs shelters, in ensuring health outcomes; and
- Ways to ensure consistent standards of care are used throughout a region.
- Planning, guidance, and tools needed at the federal, state, regional, and local levels to support local efforts to establish fair and equitable disaster plans.
The committee will develop the agenda for the workshop sessions, select and invite speakers and discussants, and moderate the discussions. Following each workshop, a brief individually authored workshop summary will be prepared by a designated rapporteur based on the presentations and discussions held during that specific workshop session. In addition, a single individually authored full-length summary of the presentations and discussions at the workshops will be prepared by a designated rapporteur and issued in accordance with institutional policies and procedures.
