Community Disasters and Emergencies

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Community Disasters and Emergencies The Public
Health Hospital Connection
Harold Higgins Senior Deputy Director Northeast
Texas Public Health District
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Primary day to day mission or focus Hospitals
Health and well being of the individual Public
Health Health and well being of the
community Day to day nexus Primarily
communicable disease. (Public Health routinely
interacts with infection control practitioners
and Emergency Departments.) Disaster/Emergency
Nexus coordinated effort to protect our
community, take care of victims, support
temporary patient care facilities, and keep our
hospitals open for business.
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Local Public Health Role in Disasters and
Emergencies
By state law, the ultimate local authority during
such incidents is the highest ranking elected
official County Judge or Mayor These officials
typically delegate all health and medical
response activities to the local Health
Authority. The Health Authority has broad powers
during a declared disaster/emergency and serves
as the leader of the health/medical response. In
these instances, local public health works for
the Health Authority and serves as an
intermediary between the local government that
wants something accomplished and the
hospital/medical community where the vast
majority of medical resources and profession
expertise lie.
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Excerpts from an Actual Local Government
Emergency Plan
Annex H Health Medical Services Section VI
Organization Assignment of Responsibilities
The Health Authority has primary responsibility
for the health and medical services function and
shall designate a Health Officer to plan and
coordinate public health and medical services
during emergency situations. The Health Officer
or designee shall serve as a member of the EOC
staff. Upon receipt of official notification
of an actual or potential emergency condition,
it is the responsibility of the Health Authority
to receive and evaluate all requests for health
and medical assistance and to disseminate such
notification to all appropriate public health,
medical and mortuary services.
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Excerpts from an Actual Local Government
Emergency Plan
Annex H Health Medical Services Section VI
Organization Assignment of Responsibilities Para
graph B Assignment of Responsibilities
Emergency Functions The Health Authority has
primary responsibility to provide the
following services in response to emergency
situations a. Essential medical, surgical,
hospital care and treatment for persons whose
illness or injuries are a result of a disaster or
where care and treatment are complicated by a
disaster. b. Public health protection for the
affected population. c. Mortuary and vital
records services. d. Damage assessment for
public health and medical facilities and systems.
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Local Public Health Services in RAC G
Nine counties are served by a local health
dept. and the remainder are served by DSHS. Many
counties have locally appointed
Health Authorities while others use the DSHS
Regional Director as their Health Authority.
Piney Woods RAC
G
The capabilities of our counties and cities to
respond to health/medical emergencies vary
greatly throughout the RAC. A Regional Medical
Operations Center will significantly help to
level the playing field.
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2009 HUREX
(Texas Hurricane Response Exercise)

• The Rehearsal of Concept (ROC) drill for our area
  is
• currently underway in College Station and we have
• representatives in attendance.
• The major topics for this ROC drill are
• Resource Tracking
• Special Needs Evacuation and Tracking
• Repatriation of Special Needs
• Volunteer Management
• Damage Assessment

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2009 HUREX

• The 2009 Hurricane Exercise goals for the
  Northeast
• Texas Public Health District are
• Exercise the regional MOC concept
• Exercise the distribution of resources to MSN
  shelters
• Exercise health/medical shelter support (all
  shelters)
• Exercise tracking of MSN patients
• Exercise volunteer management
• Exercise fatality management

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2009 HUREX

• During an actual hurricane response, the health
  district will
• focus on three principal areas
• Medical Special Needs sheltering
• Medical and health support to general population
  shelters
• Ensure that the medical and public health
  infrastructures
• remain viable and can continue to support basic
  day to day
• operations and provide essential community
  services.

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SUMMARY
All disasters and emergencies are LOCAL and local
elected officials are the ultimate authority (and
ultimately responsible). These officials
typically delegate all health/medical matters
to the Health Authority and public health
department. Hospitals and the local medical
community have the majority of the medical
capabilities, resources, and professional
expertise needed by the Health Authority to
effectively respond. Local public health
agencies serve as a coordination resource for the
Health Authority and also as a liaison between
local emergency management and the medical
community.