Environmental Public Health Impacts of Disasters Hurricane Katrina: Workshop Summary (2007) / Chapter Skim
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5 Health Monitoring, Assessment, and Response
5 Health Monitoring, Assessment, and Response
Pages 35-47
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From page 35... ...
Prioritization of Health Risks A straightforward, relevant, ongoing health evaluation conducted by health professionals is necessary during disasters, said Schwab. It provides information on the prevalence and incidence of potential diseases and targets limited resources to evaluate acute health issues such as infectious diseases, chemical exposure, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, lack of medications, and mental illness.
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From page 36... ...
The lack of trained personnel who could rapidly adapt hindered the successful response as well, said Schwab. Targeted health surveys applicable to the situation, using field-tested methods versus laboratory prototypes for agent identification during the assessments, were challenging in the very rapid response mode.
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From page 37... ...
EPA does not use data from these types of monitors either for compliance purposes or for generating routine air quality advisories, noted Schwab. Even so, to provide the public with a point of reference, EPA compared the results with its air quality index for inhalable coarse particles, also known as PM 10.
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From page 38... ...
According to Schwab, the absence of authority for implementing public health measures can limit effectiveness, thus causing disease surveillance and preventive measures to fall through the cracks. Response personnel faced a dangerous environment with multiple expo sure hazards, and their own mental health was very important to monitor as well.
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From page 39... ...
Schwab noted that additional work is needed to ensure effective communication strategies and prepare responders for health assessment. Although the next large disaster may be different from Hurricane Katrina, the same concepts of public health, infrastructure, and basic needs will still be present.
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From page 40... ...
Categorizing these will be important. Any medical surveillance program following a disaster needs to include mental health conditions, occupational disorders, and traumas.
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From page 41... ...
Any medical lead to substantial morbidity caused surveillance program needs to include by strokes and cardiovascular con- mental health conditions, occupational ditions, which have been related to disorders, and traumas. stressful life events.
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From page 42... ...
This 30,000-person cohort study has representatives from 48 states, a unique feature that could be useful to track the health impacts of Hurricane Katrina because evacuees were scattered around the country. In the cohort study, direct examinations are done in the subjects' homes through a contract with Examination Management Services Inc.
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From page 43... ...
The project focuses on ethical issues surrounding community-based research collaborations between researchers and communities in the fields of environmental and community health research. It represents a unique experience in dealing with research ethics concerns for Native American, African American, Hispanic, and Southeast Asian populations in environmental and community health research.
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From page 44... ...
2. Exploitation of Community Members Exploitation of community members may create serious inequities in the research process, whereby community members are burdened with research activities without compensation or funding for community expenses, leading to exploitation of community members and resources.
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From page 45... ...
4. Lack of Comprehension by the Community Without full comprehension of a research intervention and discussion of the risks and benefits of research designs, communities can suffer from these more specific ethical harms: · Research findings that bring no public health benefit to the community and may be used as justification for no further follow-up of research activities in a community (i.e., studies that often yield statistically insignificant findings in small populations)
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From page 46... ...
In places with no infrastructure or strong community leadership for environmental health, the advisory committees can be replaced by community health organization representatives, environmental groups, church groups, existing public health or medical organizations, physicians, or various networks, such as environmental justice or community health networks, noted Quigley. For example, in a study of Southeast Asians and fish contamination in Massachusetts, local researchers learned about culturally appropriate research methods from a national
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From page 47... ...
Community involvement can improve questionnaires by ensuring cultural and regional relevancy. Community involvement facilitates interview processes, providing culturally appropriate listening skills and engagement with people who are being interviewed (RTI InternationalUniversity of North Carolina, 2004)
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