In the third installment of Dr. Craig Vanderwagen’s groundbreaking five-part series Implementing the National Health Security Strategy, the founding Assistant for Preparedness and Response, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, examines the preparation needed for a mass evacuation and focuses on the medical needs of the affected population.
Mass evacuation is a critical step in saving lives and reducing the burden of disease in a population. It requires extensive planning to successfully meet the timing and conditions to ensure a population’s recovery and safe return to their homes and communities. Mass evacuation in an unplanned environment is chaotic and threatening to the well being of the affected population – exacerbating the impact of the disaster event and undermining effective recovery.
In this essay, Dr. Vanderwagen explores the need for collaborative action between jurisdictional elements – including hospitals and providers, state and local health departments, and federal responders, while suggesting such innovations as: (a) common data elements and interoperable electronic health records; (b) interoperable and comprehensive biosurveillance information systems; (c) common/interoperable logistics information systems (including personnel and material assets); and (d) community-based enrollment systems for patients with specialized medical needs.
- Watch Dr. Vanderwagen in a video preview of this white paper.
- Download The Public Health Challenge in Mass Evacuation and Shelter Care white paper.
- Learn more about the Implementing the National Health Security Strategy white paper series.
________________________ Craig Vanderwagen, M.D., is a Senior partner with Martin, Blanck, and Associates (MBA). His most recent assignment prior to joining MBA was the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from 2006-2009. He has special interests and experience in biodefense, domestic disaster preparedness and response, international humanitarian and disaster response, federal health delivery systems, innovative organization development and evaluation, and cross-cultural healthcare.