Nursing Emergency Response Planning
Table of Contents
Population Health - Emergency Response Planning
Observations
The City Hall offices in Sentinel City are found in Acer Tech Center, which is situated between the neighborhoods of Nightingale Square and Casper Park District. The total population in Sentinel City is around 663,862 individuals (“Sentinel City,” 2017). Nonetheless, the estates within, specifically Acer Tech Center and Nightingale Square, have residents adding up to about 168,390 and 103,674, respectively (“Sentinel City,” 2017). Casper Park District is the most densely inhabited neighborhood within which the civic disturbance took place as it has a population of up to 352,643 individuals (“Sentinel City,” 2017). Such is primarily due to the reasonably priced housing project sited in the district. Based on the breakdown of the characteristics of the residents of Acer Tech, Nightingale Square, and Casper Park according to ethnicity, a significant majority of the individuals at City Hall at the time of the disturbance were Whites, with some Hispanic and Latinos and very few Blacks. The age group lies anywhere between 5 to above 65years. However, most of victims were adults.
Public Health Effects, Environmental Hazards, and Infrastructure Damage
Often, civic disturbances are directed towards valuables in a given area such as; industries, property, and vital services (Bylander, 2015). The departments at City Hall offer different services to enhance the quality of life of residents of Sentinel City and to help individuals in need. Therefore, infrastructure damage to City Hall includes; power outage and communication challenges to the building. These damages are expected to make it difficult for people to access essential services; hence, causing them to suffer.
Moreover, environmental hazards mostly relate to the destruction of humanmade facilities like homes and offices. Nevertheless, damages to the natural environment include; removal of vegetation and contamination of water sources, which in return, create public health effects for the residents of Sentinel City. Healthcare is closely tied to everything else within a society (Bylander, 2015). For this reason, a civic disturbance can produce severe public health effects. These include lack of access to health services especially since the main hospital in Sentinel City is situated in Acer Tech Center. Other effects include; injuries, sickness following exposure to environmental hazards and increased transmission of preexisting infectious diseases such as Tuberculosis due to congestion during rescue.
Related Reading
Emergency Management Team
Within Sentinel City, there is a police unit, a fire department, and an emergency medical services team that can be dispatched to the disturbance. Whereas the central role of the police unit is to put barriers to define the disaster area and to set up a safety zone, the fire department puts out any fires and identifies the release of hazardous substances (Hauke et al., 2011). The police also work to direct traffic within the neighborhood to ease rescue operations. Conversely, the emergency medical services team provides prompt healthcare services to the victims of disasters. Before an injured person is taken to hospital the medics need to stabilize their condition through first aid to increase chances of survival (Hauke et al., 2011). However, to achieve utmost success, Building Competency among Emergency Department Nurses, proper coordination of the emergency management team, and cooperation between experts are imperative. All the teams must work together to save people and manage the disturbance within the shortest time possible.
Private and Public Resources
In the short term, public resources such as the deployment of government agencies and recovery committees are likely to assist with the response (Chandra, Moen & Sellers, 2016). The private sector often contributes resources, especially finances and workforce, to speed up the rescue process. Conversely, in the long term, public resources will center on mitigation services to avoid further disturbances as well as repair and replacement of damaged facilities. The long term response of the private sector is more comprehensive as compared to public entities (Chandra, Moen & Sellers, 2016). Private organizations not only play a significant role in compensating for losses but also partner with local organizations to rebuild the neighborhood where the civic unrest took place. Either way, lasting impacts result from collaborations between private and public sectors.
Risk and Benefits of Quick Public Responses
In the modern age of technology, social media is an indispensable component of any operation, whether good or bad. Therefore, the information about the civic disturbance is bound to receive a quick public response from individuals on online platforms. The benefit of such reactions is that they raise awareness of the ongoing distress to those within the vicinity as well as those with relatives and friends in the neighborhood. They also keep interested parties updated on the progress of the operation and can be used for mobilization of personnel and resources such as finances to provide basic needs for the victims in case of shortages (Bylander, 2015). However, since social media communication is based on user-generated content, there is a high likelihood of information conflict, which may confuse rescue operations (Hauke et al., 2011). A further risk entails spreading the message of fear and fueling social unrest, especially when people feel like rescue operations are not going fast enough. All in all, while shutting down social media or ignoring quick public responses may not be the best approach to alleviate the risks, it is advisable to ascertain information before acting upon it to capitalize on the benefits.
References
Bylander, J. (2015). Civil unrest, police use of force, and the public’s health. Health Affairs, 34(8), 1264-1268. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2015.0717.
Chandra, A., Moen, S., & Sellers, C. (2016). What role does the private sector have in supporting disaster recovery, and what challenges does it face in doing so? RAND Corporation.
Hauke, A., Georgiadou, P., Pinotsi, D., Kallio, H., Lusa, S., & Malmelin, J. (2011). Emergency services: A literature review on occupational safety and health risks. European Union: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.
Sentinel City® Community Health Simulation Demographics. (2017). Healthcare Learning Innovations. PDF File.