Public Health Practices

In response to state demographics, a Florida Department of Health (DOH) work group developed a guide for emergency responders to communicate with various vulnerable populations during a disaster. The guide covers how to create an appropriate message, deliver it in a way that will be received and understood, and collaborate with area organizations that may have special knowledge or skills to reach their communities.

A significant number of elderly people, people with disabilities, and children in group homes live near the nation’s largest nuclear power plant, the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, about 50 miles west of Phoenix. During a radiological emergency, they may need additional assistance. State health officials have used full-scale exercises and frequent contact to streamline their evacuation and decontamination response times for these vulnerable populations.

Health department emergency response planners in Maricopa County, Arizona, were successful in expanding their existing outreach activities to get key messages about pandemic influenza to hard-to-reach communities.

Collaborative partnerships developed for other goals may be effectively applied to H1N1 pandemic response. The Virginia Department of Health's (VDH) partnership with the state's AARP chapter is one such example.

The Prepared Community Initiative is a training and technical assistance program for local Community Health Councils. The Initiative is intended to prepare Community Health Councils to be collaborative partners in health-related emergency preparedness and response, especially as it pertains to at-risk populations.

The Emergency Preparedness Checklist is designed to ensure that clients receiving home care and case management services are better able to cover gaps in their own care during emergencies. They are encouraged through this clear, simple planning checklist to take a few key planning steps: have a conversation about emergency preparedness; develop an emergency plan; and gather a three days or more supply of nine essential items in preparation for an emergency event.

A Special Needs Populations Assessment Toolkit represents part of a pandemic influenza mapping and outreach project conducted by the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments. The toolkit contains a selection of materials that are clearly and concisely written. It provides detailed assessments for needs experienced by the elderly; disabled; non-English speakers; and people who live in shelters, institutional facilities, and other specialized housing.