The National Resource Center on Advancing Emergency Preparedness for Culturally Diverse Communities

What's New?

Initiatives

2/23/2010

Public Health Ethics in Disasters

Using the United States Public Health Code of Ethics as a guide, this website provides practical information on ethical issues facing public health agencies when responding to disasters. The website highlights topics such as social distancing, vulnerable populations, risk communication, and community engagement. To view the website CLICK HERE.  

 

2/15/2010

2010 American Public Health Association: Get Ready Scholarship

apha get ready The Get Ready Scholarship is being offered in conjunction with the APHA’s Get Ready campaign and is open to high school seniors, undergraduate students, and graduate students. Applicants are required to submit an essay of 500-750 words on emergency preparedness. Six winners will be awarded $500 scholarships. For more information CLICK HERE.

 

1/25/2010

Funding: 2010 DHS Community Preparedness Grants

The 2010 Department of Homeland Security preparedness grants contain 10 grant programs that support strengthening of community preparedness and participation efforts. This summary is intended to assist potential grantees with identifying the full breadth of resources available to support the critical mission of community resilience. To view the full summary CLICK HERE.

 

10/13/2009

ECHO Minnesota H1N1 Resources

ECHOEmergency & Community Health Outreach (ECHO) is a collaborative that includes public health and safety agencies across Minnesota, ethnic advisory organizations and non-profit groups. ECHO developed multimedia resources on H1N1 in 11 languages. Topics include preventive behaviors and vaccination information. Resources are available in printed, audio, and video formats. To access the materials CLICK HERE.  

 

6/22/2009

ECHO Minnesota Participates in Emergency Response Exercise to Strengthen Emergency Preparedness Services for LEP Communities

ECHO Minnesota recently took part in a large-scale emergency response exercise with 17 local public health agencies. ECHO used their expertise on populations with limited-English proficiency (LEP) to help ensure that emergency information is made available to diverse communities in Minnesota. For more information CLICK HERE or visit the ECHO WEBSITE.

 

Events & Training

3/12/2010

Community Preparedness Webinar: Partnering with the American Red Cross

March 17, 2010 - 2:00 EST                                                                              FEMA’s Individual & Community Preparedness Division will be hosting a free webinar on partnering with the American Red Cross to enhance the ability of communities to prepare for, and respond to, emergencies. The American Red Cross has over 700 chapters nationwide, many with inroads to culturally diverse communities. For more information CLICK HERE.

 

3/5/2010

2010 Integrated Medical, Public Health, Preparedness and Response Training Summit

May 12-16, 2010                                                                                            Nashville, TN

The 2010 Integrated Medical, Public Health, Preparedness and Response Training Summit, sponsored by USDHHS, brings  together USDHHS partners to encourage coordination, collaboration and interaction amongst preparedness and response organizations. Focus areas include; healthcare systems, ESF#8 integration, public health, and medical services. For more information about the Summit CLICK HERE.  
 

1/4/2010

2010 National Conference on Quality Health Care for Culturally Diverse Populations

October 18-21, 2010                                                                                            Baltimore, MD

The 2010 National Conference on Quality Health Care for Culturally Diverse Populations, “Improving Health Care for Culturally Diverse Populations: A New Place on the National Health Agenda,” provides the opportunity for networking and education through over 60 practice-oriented sessions on a wide range of topics, including: cultural competence training, culturally competent health care organization, culturally appropriate care to reduce disparities, and research/measurement. Proposals are being accepted until February 1, 2010. For more information CLICK HERE.
 

11/13/2009

Webinar: Emergency Communication and Response with Racial, Ethnic and Minority Communities

This Society for Public Health Education webinar, originally recorded in summer of 2009, describes risk communication issues specific to racial/ethnic minorities and awareness of, and compliance with, government issued H1N1 warnings. Participants of the webinar also discuss  the role of Community Health Centers in serving diverse populations during public health emergencies. To access the webinar CLICK HERE.

 

7/2/2009

Cultural Competency Curriculum for Disaster Response

The Office of Minority Health (OMH) has recently released a set of online courses to provide guidance for emergency personal responding to the needs of diverse communities following a disaster. The curriculum is grounded in OMH’s CLAS Standards which spans the topics of culturally competent care, language access services, and organizational supports. Free registration is required. For more information CLICK HERE.  

 

Publications

2/17/2010

Factors Predicting Individual Emergency Preparedness: A Multi-state Analysis of 2006 BRFSS Data

This study used BRFSS to assess the likelihood of individuals’ to be prepared for disasters.  Most respondents (78%) reported feeling prepared for a disaster, but only 45% were considered to be prepared when objective measures were used.The inability to afford medical care in the previous year was a predictor for decreased likelihood of being prepared for a disaster in racial and ethnic minorities. To access the full article CLICK HERE.

 

1/20/2010

CDC: American Indians and Alaska Natives Suffer Disproportionately High H1N1 Mortality Rate

A CDC study recently published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report indicates that AI/ANs are more than four times as likely to die from H1N1 than individuals of other racial/ethnic groups. The exact causes of this disparity are unknown—but could be caused by an increased prevalence of chronic disease, high poverty, and limited access to health care among this population. To view the full report CLICK HERE.

 

1/20/2010

USDHHS National Security Strategy & Implementation Guide

This document presents the Nation's first National Health Security Strategy (NHSS) and is intended to help galvanize efforts to minimize the health consequences associated with significant health incidents. The NHSS was developed in consultation with a broad range of stakeholders and explicitly acknowledges issues surrounding language, culture, and trust. To view the NHSS and Implementation Guide CLICK HERE.
 

1/20/2010

IOM Report: Guidance for Establishing Crisis Standards of Care for Use in Disaster Situations

This consensus report provides guidance that can assist state and local public health officials, healthcare facilities, and professionals in the development of systematic and comprehensive policies and protocols for crisis standards of care in disasters where resources are scarce. The report acknowledges the importance of engaging culturally diverse communities and includes a passage from the National Consensus Statement on Integrating Racially and Ethnically Diverse Communities into Public Health Emergency Preparedness. To view the full report CLICK HERE.

 

12/15/2009

Improving Latino Disaster Preparedness Using Social Networks

This recent article from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine presents the findings from a randomized, longitudinal cohort study which tested methods to improve disaster preparedness in Latino communities in Los Angeles County. To view the full abstract and access the article CLICK HERE.

 

12/3/2009

Issue Brief: Preliminary Findings- Study of the Impact of the 2009 H1N1 Influenza Pandemic on Latino Migrant Farm Workers in the U.S.

This issue brief from the Center for Biosecurity of UPMC presents preliminary findings on the social threats to the health of Latino migrant farmworkers in connection with the 2009 H1N1 outbreak. Such threats include stigmatization, limited access to health care, and economic barriers which inhibit compliance with the recommendations of public health officials. Guidelines on the provision of the H1N1 vaccine to migrant farmworkers are also provided. To view the full issue brief CLICK HERE.