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American Public Health Association
Survey: Public health workers not personally prepared for emergencies
http://www.apha.org/publications/tnh/current/Dec06Jan07/APHANews/Survey.htm
Survey: Public health workers not personally prepared for emergencies
http://www.apha.org/publications/tnh/current/Dec06Jan07/APHANews/Survey.htm
When it comes to emergency preparedness, many public health workers may not be practicing what they preach, according to an informal survey conducted by APHA.
The online survey, conducted by APHA during October and November, found that many public health workers aren?t personally prepared for an emergency or disaster. About 60 percent of workers who took part in the survey said they lacked evacuation plans for their households, and 52 percent said they didn?t
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have a plan addressing how they?d communicate with household members in the event of an emergency.
While the American Red Cross recommends that Americans have at least a three-day supply of food and water stored for use during an emergency, almost half of survey respondents said they did not have drinking water set aside and 35 percent said they lacked supplies of non-perishable food.
Also troubling were survey findings that 81 percent of respondents weren?t aware of evacuation plans for their communities. And among survey participants with children, 70 percent said that their children?s school or day care facility had not communicated their emergency preparedness plans with them.
The survey results show a need for better education and outreach to the public health work force on the importance of being personally prepared for an emergency, said APHA Executive Director Georges Benjamin, MD, FACP.
?Both Sept. 11, 2001, and Hurricane Katrina brought home the message that Americans need to be better prepared for the worst, and we in public health have been working actively to bring that message to the public,? Benjamin said. ?Unfortunately, in our efforts to reach others, we may be neglecting to prepare ourselves.?
Because public health workers are on the front lines during emergencies,
it is critical that they themselves are prepared, both at home and in the workplace, Benjamin noted. In the event of a disaster, first responders need to be able to concentrate on helping victims and guiding evacuations, not worrying about themselves or their families.
The problem is not that public health workers are unaware of the need to prepare, the survey showed. More than 60 percent of the respondents agreed with the statement that ?I know I should take more steps to be more prepared for emergency situations ? I just haven?t gotten around to it.? Just taking the survey seemed to motivate some respondents to become more prepared, however. Some survey respondents commented that the survey served as a personal ?wake-up? reminder and said that they would begin taking action.
The survey also found that:
* most public health workers have adequate emergency supplies such as matches, candles and flashlights on hand at home, but few have such supplies stored at work;
* 61 percent of respondents were unaware of an evacuation plan at their work place and only 17 percent had emergency food set aside at work;
* about 64 percent of respondents were ?somewhat,? ?very? or ?extremely? concerned about an influenza pandemic; and
* when asked which emergency situation concerned them most, respondents ranked natural disasters such as hurricanes or earthquakes at the top of the list.
The APHA survey involved more than 4,100 public health professionals, almost all of whom were APHA members living in the United States. Many participants in the survey said they worked in state or local health departments or at universities, but respondents also included public health professionals working in medical facilities, businesses, municipal governments, non-profit organizations, health agencies and the armed services.
Survey respondents were self-selected and restricted to people with Internet access, therefore the results may not paint a complete picture of public health workers nationwide, APHA noted. APHA?s Statistics Section played a key role in developing the survey, advising on its questions and structure.
To help Americans become more prepared for emergencies and disasters, the 2007 observance of National Public Health Week will focus on the issue. In conjunction with the event, APHA is planning to conduct a formal survey next year of the general public to measure their overall preparedness level.
APHA is also working to help Americans become more prepared and informed specifically about pandemic flu and emerging infectious disease through its Get Ready campaign, online at www.getreadyforflu.org. The campaign includes preparation tips, fact sheets, a blog and podcasts.
In November, APHA awarded emergency preparedness kits valued at $350 apiece to two members who had taken part in recent promotions. Ellyn Mulcahy of Mission, Kansas, was the winner of a raffle held at the Get Ready booth during the 134th APHA Annual Meeting in Boston, while Loretta Gudenas, MEd, RN, of Euclid, Ohio, was randomly chosen from survey participants to receive a kit.
For more information on the survey, e-mail kate.sweeney@apha.org or call (202) 777-2513.
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