On June 11, 2008, the National Consensus Panel on Emergency Preparedness and Cultural Diversity issued the nation’s first blueprint for integrating racially and ethnically diverse communities into emergency preparedness. An initiative of both the Drexel University School of Public Health’s Center for Health Equality, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health, the National Consensus Panel is comprised of a unique and leading group of national, state and local organizations who came together for the first time to define a unified set of priorities for preparing and responding to culturally diverse communities in public health emergencies. On this page you will find a summary of the Purpose and work of the National Consensus Panel, as well as links to the National Consensus Statement, Guiding Principles, June 11, 2008 Press Release, National Consensus Panel Member List, and Summaries of Panel Convenings.
Links to Key Resources:
Summaries of Panel Convenings:
Composition of National Consensus Panel:
The National Consensus Panel is comprised of individuals from 34 organizations representing a cross-section of: multiple federal, state and local government agencies; emergency preparedness and management organizations; professional associations representing medicine, public health and health care; health care quality organizations; experts in the fields of preparedness, risk communication, and cultural competence; and representatives of racial/ethnic, immigrant and LEP communities across the nation. Click here to view National Consensus Panel Members.
Process for Reaching Consensus and Developing the Statement:
The National Consensus Panel convened for its first day and a half meeting on September 10-11 2007, focusing on the first two objectives—i.e., developing a National Consensus Statement and related Guiding Principles. The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) was utilized to identify a core and unified set of “actions and processes” for integrating diverse populations into emergency preparedness. Key findings from NGT formed the foundation of the National Consensus Statement. Click here to view the First Panel Meeting’s Agenda. The Panel met for a second time on October 16-17, 2008 to develop sector-specific recommendations on effectively incorporating the needs of racially and ethnically diverse communities across the full continuum of emergency preparedness; and provide guidance as to what consists of promising and best practices for reaching and responding to these communities. Click here to view the Second Panel Meeting’s Agenda.
Organizations that have formally Endorsed the Statement:
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through its Office of Minority Health, formally approved the National Consensus Statement. The statement also received formal signoff from 26 of the major national organizations, state/local agencies and community representatives on the National Consensus Panel. Click here to view National Consensus Panel Members and Signatories.
Purpose of Release of National Consensus Statement and Guiding Principles:
The intent of the release of the National Consensus Statement is to raise the awareness of the critical need and urgency of integrating racially and ethnically diverse communities into public health emergency preparedness as well as to provide cohesion around the priorities and core objectives for achieving this. We anticipate that the release of this statement, along with its preamble and guiding principles, will initiate and further a dialogue among key constituents and provide initial guidance for implementation and action steps for preparing and responding to minority communities. Click here to view the National Consensus Statement and Guiding Principles.
Intended Audience of Statement and Guiding Principles:
Our intent is to disseminate the National Consensus Statement broadly across the nation. To this end, our target audience will include: National Consensus Panel members and their constituents; federal, state, tribal and local agencies; private for-profit and not-for-profit organizations; academic centers for preparedness (e.g., CDC’s CPHPs); emergency planners, managers and first responders; healthcare providers, in particular emergency physicians and nurses; and advocacy groups and policymakers.
Application of National Consensus Statement and Guiding Principles:
The following are examples of how the National Consensus Statement and guiding principles can be applied across agencies and organizations at the national, state and local levels.
- Reviewing organizational and programmatic policies to consider the extent to which they take into account the principles embedded in the statement and guiding principles;
- Initiating a dialogue among sectors, agencies and communities across the nation and creating partnerships to address a core, unified set of priorities;
- Providing a road map for directly engaging and involving communities in developing effective preparedness plans;
- Providing general direction and guidance on integrating minorities in critical preparedness areas –e.g., training/education, measurement/evaluation, risk communication.