Public Health Practices

After Hurricane Katrina, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center and several Louisiana organizations developed guidance and resources for disaster responders to use in preventing and responding to sexual violence. With input from public meetings, the agencies created the guide to help organizations develop sexual assault prevention and response procedures. Their cross-disciplinary approach helped integrate sexual violence concerns into disaster response.

The Vulnerable Populations Committee of Jackson and Josephine Counties in Oregon developed the READY BOOK to ensure on-the-spot access to vital information needed by caregivers and medical professionals who assist individuals in need during an emergency.

The National Council of La Raza’s (NCLR) Institute for Hispanic Health developed the Emergency Managers Tool Kit: Meeting the Needs of Latino Communities to address the specific needs of Latino communities during an emergency.

The Migrant and Seasonal Farm Worker Emergency Preparedness Planning Guide helps planners integrate the needs of migrant and seasonal farm workers into existing emergency preparedness planning efforts. Ready-to-use checklists outline essential steps to take when working with migrant and seasonal farm workers during all phases of an emergency.

Early in the 2009 H1N1 vaccination effort, daycares, schools, colleges and universities in the state were strongly encouraged to vaccinate people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years. The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Office of Public Health (DHH OPH) partnered with Louisiana's Department of Social Services (DSS), Department of Education (DOE) and the Louisiana Board of Regents (BOR) to organize outreach efforts and host school-located vaccination campaigns.

The Home Care Guide provides the public with a comprehensive description of how to care for sick family members at home during a pandemic. It includes lists of emergency supplies, guidelines on how to limit the spread of disease at home, instructions on how to take care of sick household members safely and effectively and basic information about pandemic flu. This guide was created prior to the emergence of novel H1N1 flu virus in 2009.

The Closed Dispensing Site Workbook is designed to help community organizations become closed dispensing sites to administer medication to their staff and/or clients during an emergency. The workbook is an alternative to traditional prophylaxis dispensing site and is intended to disburse preventive medication to an entire population within 48 hours.

A community handbook available in Spanish discusses how families and individuals can stay safe during an influenza outbreak.