1/5/2009
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Launches Snap Shots of State Population Data (SNAPS) to Assist in Emergency Preparedness PlanningThe CDC has recently launched SNAPS to provide local-level community profiles consisting of key variables for developing and tailoring health education and risk communication efforts to ensure that diverse audiences receive critical public health messages that are accessible, understandable, and timely. Data is provided on variables such as race/ethnicity and primary language spoken at home. To access the SNAPS data CLICK HERE.
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10/21/2008
University of Washington Researchers to Lead Two Projects Exploring Communications with Vulnerable Populations in EmergenciesThe Preparedness and Emergency Response Research Center at the Northwest for Public Health Preparedness was recently two grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to examine the most effective way to communicate with vulnerable populations in an emergency.One study will focus on improving 911 and public health center interactions with non-English speaking callers while another will work towards improving emergency health alerts between public health and health care providers. For more information about the projects CLICK HERE.
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8/1/2008
Promising Practices for Pandemic Planning: Breaking Language Barriers with Preparedness Messages  This brief article by the Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota highlights the efforts of Emergency and Community Health Outreach Minnesota (ECHO) to effectively reach populations with limited English proficiency in a public health emergency. ECHO has forged a partnership with Minnesota’s public television system to provide informative 20 minute programs in languages which reflect the region's cultural landscape. To view this best practices article in its entirety CLICK HERE.
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6/11/2008
National Consensus Statement and Guiding Principles on Emergency Preparedness and Cultural DiversityOn 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 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. For further background information on the National Consensus Panel and Statement, please follow this link to the Drexel Center for Health Equality's website. To view the National Consensus Statement, Guiding Principles, Panel Member List and Press Release, please click on the links below:
National Consensus Statement | Guiding Principles | Panel Members | Press Release
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12/8/2008
Satellite Broadcast: Mass Antibiotic Dispensing- Partnering with Tribal Governments and Communities
January 29, 2009
1:00-2:30 PM
The capacity to reach every person in the community is the goal of any mass antibiotic dispensing campaign. In particular, planning for dispensing to American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations presents unique challenges for public health professionals, tribal leaders, and tribal health providers. This broadcast will assist state and local Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) planners in determining how to effectively engage their neighboring tribal governments and communities. Program objectives include defining challenges to reaching tribal populations, determining preferred channels of communication, and describing two methods for providing training to the community. For additional information and registration details CLICK HERE.
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11/20/2008
The 19th World Conference of Disaster Management June 21-24, 2009
Toronto, Canada
 The theme of this year’s World Conference of Disaster Management (WCDM) is “A Climate for Change: Communication, Collaboration and Co-operation.” The WCDM is geared towards professionals across the entire spectrum of disaster services including emergency responders, public health officials, risk communication specialists, emergency managers and other disciplines. The previous WCDM attracted 2,100 disaster management professionals from over 40 countries. The abstract submission deadline for papers is December 5, 2008. For more information CLICK HERE.
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11/18/2008
The National Emergency Management Summit March 4-6, 2009
Washington, D.C.
The National Emergency Management Summit seeks to assess risks surrounding natural disasters, epidemics and terrorism in the United States and articulate practical approaches to strategies for planning, response and recovery. The objectives of the summit are to assess our readiness for disasters and pandemics, foster best practices through the presentation of successful case studies in the field, and explore difficult legal and ethnical issues that arise in emergency situations. For more information CLICK HERE.
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11/18/2008
Fourth Annual Public Health Emergency Preparedness Summit February 18-20, 2009
San Diego, California
The mission of the 2009 Public Health Preparedness Summit is to improve the ability of participants to plan, prepare for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies. Sessions will focus on identifying key elements for public health preparedness at the local, state, and national levels, proposing strategies for measuring preparedness, and describing evidence-based approaches to addressing challenges in public health emergency response. For Additional Information CLICK HERE.
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10/31/2008
Second Convening: National Consensus Panel on Emergency Preparedness and Cultural DiversityOctober 16-17, 2008, Los Angeles, CA
A panel of over 35 experts representing health care, emergency preparedness, risk communication, racial/ethnic communities, and cultural competence at national, state and local government, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations convened for the second time to: (1) develop sector-specific recommendations on effectively incorporating the needs of racially and ethnically diverse communities across the full continuum of emergency preparedness; and (2) provide guidance as to what consists of promising and best practices for reaching and responding to these communities. A formalized statement based on the panel’s recommendations is currently being developed.
AGENDA DAY 1 PRESENTATION DAY 2 PRESENTATION
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10/27/2008
The 16th World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine May 12- 19, 2009
Victoria, British Columbia
The 16th World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine is a biannual event convened by the Word Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine which will be held in Victoria, British Columbia. It is the mission of the congress to equip health professionals with the tools to prepare for and respond to disasters and health emergencies around the world. Topics for the 16th convening include cross-cultural issues in metal health services and the needs of immigrants/refuges. The deadline for abstract submissions in January 5, 2009. To lean more about the submission process, registration, and the event program CLICK HERE.
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10/23/2008
The Third National Leadership Summit on Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health February 25- 27, 2009
Washington, D.C.
As part of the Office of Minority Health’s broad initiative to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities, the 2009 Summit will focus on four tasks: 1) to build a renewed sense of leadership and partnerships across communities, 2) to share success stories and methods, 3) to demonstrate how model programs can be replicated or tailored for greater impact, and 4) to create methods, tactics, and ideas that support more effective and efficient action. The Summit will achieve these goals by providing workshops, plenary sessions, and special events centered around increasing awareness of health disparities, strengthening leadership, enhancing patient-provider communication, improving cultural competency in delivering health services, and coordinating and utilizing research and outcome evolutions. The deadline for abstract submissions is November 18, 2008. For more information CLICK HERE.
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6/30/2008
Partnerships in Emergency Preparedness: A Faith-Based Community Initiatives Workshop July 2008- January 2009
 The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as organized a number of workshops across the county to engage Homeland Security stakeholders from the private sector, governmental agencies, and non-profit groups, such as non-governmental organizations and faith-based groups, in a strategic partnership to develop a national culture of preparedness. The workshops will highlight the role of grassroots faith-based and community-based organizations in emergency management and preparedness. For the workshop agenda and information on the dates and locations of upcoming workshops CLICK HERE.
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12/11/2008
Terrorism-Related Fear and Avoidance Behavior in a Multiethnic Urban PopulationThis study, led by Dr. David Eisenman and colleagues, sought to assess the perceived risk of terrorism and avoidance behavior among vulnerable populations, including racial and ethnic minorities, in Los Angeles County. Results indicate that vulnerable populations may have elevated concerns and thus disproportionately suffer the psychosocial burdens of terrorism threats. The access the article in its entirety CLICK HERE.
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11/21/2008
Ethnocultural Perspectives on Disaster and Trauma: Foundations, Issues, and ApplicationsThis new book, edited by Dr. Anthony J. Marsella and colleagues, provides a range of perspectives and strategies for providing mental health services to diverse populations following a disaster. Drawing from major historical events, this book examines core values, communication styles, and cultural-specific disorders associated with post-disaster trauma. The authors additionally provide recommendations for improving service delivery to racially and ethnically diverse populations. For more information CLICK HERE.
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11/11/2008
Health Disparities: Barriers to a Culture of PreparednessThis commentary piece, which appears in the November supplement of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, describes how one’s ability to survive and recover from a disaster is proportional to their social and physical well being prior to the event. The piece is by LTG Russel L. Honore´ (retired) who was the Commander of the Hurricane Katrina Joint Task Force. To read the commentary in its entirety CLICK HERE.
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11/4/2008
Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 301: Interim Emergency Management Training Guide for Special Needs Populations This interim guide, jointly developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, outlines how involving special needs populations in planning enables emergency managers to address the function-based needs of individuals. The guide explicitly addresses the needs of culturally diverse, non-English speaking, and limited English proficient populations and strategies to integrate them into emergency communication, evacuation, and recovery plans. CPG-301 will remain an interim document while feedback on field experience with this guide is sought from emergency managers in 2008. This will include a series of forums that will be held and an open comment period conducted prior to finalizing the document. Follow the links to either the PRESS RELEASE or the full interim GUIDE.
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10/22/2008
Emergency Preparedness in Public Hospitals: Complete Findings of the 2006-2007 Emergency Preparedness Study This monograph presents findings from a series of surveys conducted by the National Health and Hospital Institute to determine the role of public hospitals during an emergency and identify concerns as well as activities. Findings indicate the public hospitals provide a disproportionate amount of emergency services compared to their non-public counterparts, their ability to respond to an emergency is dependent on internal readiness, they play a vital role in community preparedness, and that they provide care to most vulnerable populations despite limited resources for preparedness planning. The monograph also cites that public hospitals serve a high proportion of minority patients, many of which have limited English proficiency. To view the monograph in its entirety CLICK HERE.
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10/20/2008
San Diego Firestorm 2007 Report: Fire Impact on Farmworkers & Migrant Communities in North County  This report, prepared by the National Latino Research Center at California State University, San Marcos, documents fire impacts on farmworkers and migrants in North San Diego County resulting from the firestorms of October 2007. Research findings suggest that during and immediately following the firestorms, farmworkers and migrants in North San Diego County were negatively impacted by the fires and in some cases encountered structural and institutional barriers in accessing information and relief efforts. To view the full report CLICK HERE.
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