Locating Reliable Disaster Health Resources on the Internet

March 15, 2013Garrett County Health Department

Instructor: Mary Spalding, MA, MLIS,Western Maryland Area Health Education Center

(AHEC)

This program is sponsored in whole or in part by the National Library of Medicine.

Western Maryland Area Health Education Center Learning Resource Center in partnership with:

Allegany College of Maryland Health Continuing Education DepartmentAllegany County Health DepartmentEmergency Preparedness Caucus, WMAHECFrostburg State University Pre-Medical SocietyGarrett County Health DepartmentMeritus Health Medical Library and Education DepartmentSocial Work Caucus - Allegany/Garrett Counties, WMAHECSocial Work Caucus - Washington County, WMAHECWashington County Health DepartmentWestern Maryland Health System Parish Nurse and Health Minister Program 

The goal of Safe Seniors: Appalachian Disaster and Emergency Health Information Outreach is to improve disaster medicine and public health information access for health professionals, first responders and others (paid or volunteer) who play a role in health-related disaster preparedness, response, and recovery in three rural Appalachian counties in Maryland, with a focus on the elderly population. 

"Safe Seniors: Appalachian Disaster and Emergency Health Information Outreach"

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:

Identify reliable Internet-based local and national disaster health resources for health professionals, with a focus on community preparedness.

Describe disaster preparedness for public health and other community disaster health planners and responders.

Identify appropriate disaster health resources for seniors and the disabled, particularly those living in a rural area.

Learning Objectives

Mary Spalding, MA, MLISWestern Maryland AHEC Program

Coordinator and Medical Librarian

Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science from University of South Carolina; Master’s Degree in English from West Virginia University with additional PhD course work;

Medical Librarian for WMAHEC since 1999; Under contract with WMAHEC, serve as medical librarian with oversight of library budget,

resources, and services for Meritus Health in Hagerstown, Maryland; Serve as medical library consultant for Western Maryland Health System and Somerset

Hospital; Writer, coordinator, and/or project investigator for numerous federal grants and contracts

involving health care and library services, including the National Library of Medicine, National Network of Libraries of Medicine, U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, Appalachian Regional Commission. She wrote and served as project investigator of a 1999 National Leadership Grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum & Library Services (IMLS) that provided training in emerging library technologies for rural librarians in three states; she also served as National Leadership Grant reviewer for IMLS the following year.

Instructor

Please!◦ Be sure to complete the WMAHEC Participant

Information Form and course pre-test and turn it in to the instructor at the beginning of class.

◦ Sign in on WMAHEC’s sign-in sheet.◦ Complete a course evaluation and post-test found in

your packet and turn it in before the instructor leaves.

THANK YOU! These materials help WMAHEC justify our existence!

Housekeeping ….

http://www.disasterhero.com/play

http://www.disasterhero.com/play

But, of course, “mundane reality” does not exist; we live today under the constant threat of community emergencies and disasters.

Actually, we always have. Think Pompeii, the Black Death, endless wars, famines, floods, plagues of locusts . . .

Unlike in those times, however, we now have tools and resources to identify, prepare for, manage, and recover from disasters.

NOW the problem is how to narrow down the vast number of those resources to find those most helpful for our own communities!

Okay, back to mundane reality …

How will I ever get that report to my boss on seniors in disasters?

Just Google it, Stupid!

Where did you get the data for this

report, Milquetoast?

Wh-wh-why, Sir? Isn’t the Keystone

Cops Seniors Evacuation Plan a reliable source?

So, how do you protect yourself and those you are concerned about when seeking information and resources for disaster preparedness?

◦ Of course, always conduct thorough, thoughtful research using Web-based and print literature, and

◦ Know good evaluation methods for information and resources and apply them yourself, OR….

◦ Let medical librarians do the work for you!

Don’t let this happen to you!More important--don’t let your community members down in what could be their darkest

hours.

If you must have best/promising practices and/or peer-reviewed literature, will a Google search suffice?

Not to worry! National Library of Medicine’s Disaster Information Management Research Center has located those resources,

evaluated them for quality and reliability, and organized those selected for easy retrieval by health professionals, public health

officials, first responders, and others with a role in disaster preparation and management.

URL: http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc.html

National Library of Medicine – Disaster Information Management Research

Center (DIMRC)

The core purpose of the Disaster Information Management Research Center (DIMRC) is to develop and provide access to health information resources and technology for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Our intent is to connect people to quality disaster health information and foster a culture of community resiliency.

(Our Sponsor)

Why I am here today: National Library of Medicine Disaster Information Specialist Program

Description of our program found

here!

Monthly meetings—Next one: Needs of Persons with Disabilities in Emergency and Disaster Preparedness—Anyone can join these Webcasts!

Selection Guidelines for Non-National Library of Medicine Resources

http://disaster.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/envirohealthlinkscriteria.html

Accessibility for persons with disabilities (visual or other) is a core consideration in creation of NLM sites and

selected links.

Selection Guidelines• U.S. Government and non-U.S.

Government sites meeting evaluation criteria, including:

• Clearly stated relevant purpose;• Authority, Credibility, and Affiliation• Content, Coverage, and Currency• Point of View• Access, Navigation, and Availability• Language

http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc.html

Search PubMed for Peer-Reviewed Disaster Health

Literature; Register as Loansome Doc user to order articles through WMAHEC

Resource Guide—Search public health,

disaster medicine, and related

information available on the Web

Disaster Types and Topics—Directory with links to Web

resources evaluated by medical librarians

for quality and reliability

Each Disaster topic ends with links to

PubMed/MEDLINE citations on that topic with the search

already done for you! WMAHEC can provide these articles to you at little to no

cost.

Radiation Emergency Medical Management (REMM)

- Guidance on the clinical diagnosis and treatment of mass casualty

radiological/nuclear events for health care providers.

Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders (WISER)

- A system to help emergency responders identify hazardous materials and respond to chemical emergencies.

Contains information on over 400 chemicals and radiologic agents.

Free Disaster and Emergency Response Tools from the National Library of Medicine

 Chemical Hazards Emergency Medical Management (CHEMM) - Guidance on planning, response and recovery related to chemical mass casualty incidents

Tutorials Available for Most Products

http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/captivate/basicsearchinghsdb_skin.swf

WISER

At NLM DIMRC, find best/promising practices and evidence-based literature from national and local organizations, even …

Worst-case Scenarios

http://www.remm.nlm.gov/NuclearDetonationPreparedness.pdf

Check DIMRC for regulatory/legal requirements, government services/resources, peer-reviewed literature, and best/promising practices from other localities.

Issues identified in a recent Garrett County Ad Hoc Committee on Emergency Planning for Vulnerable Elderly:

◦ The governor is requesting a registry of vulnerable adults—how do we implement this?

◦ Seniors are reluctant or unwilling to evacuate without their pets and animals.

National or Other Locality Resources for Issues in Garrett County

Promising Practices for Evacuating People with Disabilities, 2011 – Author: Dr. Frances Norwood, Director of Research, Inclusion Research Institute

Qualitative study with targeted telephone interviews with disability service providers and emergency managers who have developed promising practices in evacuating persons with disabilities

Unfortunately, those with registries cited numerous problems: ◦ Registries create expectations that public officials WILL show up in a disaster; this may

or may not be true;◦ Privacy issues, particularly with mandated registries;◦ Unintended discrimination issues;◦ Problems with self-identifying as disabled—can sometimes be situation-dependent;◦ Many persons with disabilities or other special needs do not register with voluntary

registries;◦ Registry management issues, including cost.

http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/research/centers-institutes/institute-on-development-and-disability/public-health-programs/upload/Promising-Practices-final-1-21-2011.pdf

The governor is requesting a registry of vulnerable adults—how do we implement this?

Promising Practices Identified in Study:◦ Work through existing disabilities network to reach

individuals with disabilities;◦ Disability providers should make mutual evacuation

arrangements with similar providers in neighboring communities;

◦ Neighbor-to-neighbor programs may be a way to promote preparedness in the disabilities community.

Evacuating Persons with Disabilities – How do we know they have special needs without a registry?

Norwood, Frances. 2001. Promising Practices for Evacuating People with Disabilitieshttp://www.ohsu.edu/xd/research/centers-institutes/institute-on-development-and-disability/public-health-programs/upload/Promising-Practices-final-1-21-2011.pdf

Seniors are reluctant or unwilling to evacuate without their pets and animals.

“Traditional concerns involving animals during disasters include the following:• The spoilage of the human food and water supply;• Animal bites; and• Outbreaks of zoonoses (diseases transmitted between animals and people) such as

rabies.”

“Other problems include the significant impact on public mental health due to the emotions owners feel for their animals. These issues are particularly evident in seniors and children.”

Animals in Disaster, Module B Community Planning, FEMAhttp://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/IS11lst.asp

“The new paradigm is that animals cannot be viewed simply as inanimate property.”

http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/animals.html

http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/IS11lst.asp

Links to sites with useful resources, such as RedRover, which provides downloadable forms for agency use to assist with animals in disasters

http://www.redrover.org/community-animal-emergency-planning-resources

Searchable Resource Guide (Found on Home Page)—This search returned resources for rural preparedness.

Disaster-Related Topics• Animals in Disasters• Disaster Apps and Mobile

Optimized Web Pages• Community Preparedness• Coping with Disasters,

Violence, and Traumatic Stress

• Disaster Recovery• Ethics in Disaster Medicine

and Public Health• Personal Preparedness• Mass Gatherings• Special Populations• Disaster-Related

Competencies for Healthcare Providers

• Sources of Emergency and Disaster Information from the U.S. Government

State and Local Resources

Search for state agencies and organizations (or for organizations devoted to a particular purpose) on DIMRC home page

Maryland Office of Preparedness and Response (DHMH)

http://preparedness.dhmh.maryland.gov/SitePages/Home.aspx

DO screen shot

MEMA

http://mema.maryland.gov/Pages/default.aspx

April 5 & 6, 2013: The 11th Miltenberger Emergency Services Seminar – The Wisp

May 1-5, 2013: EMS Care: Riding the Wave – Ocean City

http://www.miemss.org/home/

Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Seminar

DHMH Maryland Responds--Medical Reserve Corps)(MRC): The MD Responds team consists of health care professionals and community members ready to assist with disaster and emergency response and recovery during a declared emergency. MD Responds coordinates the recruitment, training, activation, and retention of practicing and retired physicians, nurses, other health professionals, as well as citizens who are eager to address their community's ongoing public health needs and to help during large-scale emergencies. http://mdr.dhmh.maryland.gov/SitePages/Home.aspx

State of Maryland Resources

Garrett County Health Department Emergency Preparedness - http://www.garretthealth.org/preparedness/index.htm◦ Phone number to call in emergencies/disasters on

E-Prep home page◦ Bioterrorism page—In addition to bio-specific

information, has links to resources for the public’s disaster preparation (family and workplace disaster plans, supply kits, etc.)

◦ Education and training—Links to DHMH, MEMA, and CDC training sites

◦ Authentication required to access many of the resources on the site (“Important Documents”)

Local Resources - GCHD

Western Maryland Area Health Education Center (WMAHEC) – Emergency Preparedness (E-Prep) Caucus – Contact: Terri Socha, tsocha@wmahec.org, 301-777-9150, Ext. 107

WMAHEC Learning Resource Center – Primary Access Library of the National Library of Medicine/National Network of Libraries of Medicine – We can help you locate and access professional literature at little to no cost! – Contact: Mary Spalding, mspalding@wmahec.org, 301-777-9150, Ext. 116.

Local Resources

Complete your post-test and evaluation form and return to instructor today.

Be sure you turned in your Participant Information Form—WMAHEC needs these to justify its existence!

Contact Mary Spalding with any additional resources you’d recommend, either local or national.

We will send out an updated list of resources to those requesting same on the evaluation form.

Thank you! … And please ….