Public Health Emergency Case Study on Hurricane Katrina Case Solution & Answer

Public Health Emergency Case Study on Hurricane Katrina Case Study Solution

Introduction:

In 2005 the destruction that occurred and was witnessed in the hurricane Katrina was unimaginable. Entire towns were damaged and destroyed by the water, mud and winds. Roads no longer existed, all utilities were gone and the only source of communication left was radio. The respective authorities and service providers including the public health was unprepared on how to carry out the services that were required. The deterioration in the communication between the groups further worsened the situation, making it difficult for the respective authorities to perform their task effectively. (H Rodríguez, 2006)

Response of public health authorities:

The public health faced many challenges posed by Hurricane Katrina, as it destroyed the public health infrastructure so the assistance from the federal agencies became essential. Within few days the public health department established case definition of illness and set up a platform to report illness. Right after two days, the medical teams deployed from the headquarters of ARC. Emergency management assistance compacted a team of individuals which was assigned to work with the Mississippi state department of health. The staff and the volunteers were working hard in the health department. An incident management team was set to form a clear chain of commands. The staff and volunteers were incorporated to increase the speed. Many of the individuals did not have any prior experience or training. Emergency management assistance compact was given the key position to run the operations. Some of the key members of the Mississippi State Department of Health were given the same position based on their skills and knowledge. The task assigned to each team member was to help their respective health department to learn and perform their respective duties. (Cohen, 2013)

A cohesive team for public health was formed and the health department assigned the people to the task and provided the resources and utilities that were needed. The key public health activities that were carried out during the situation included checking and approving the supplies of water and waste treatments, providing shelters, assisting the victims with monetary services, distribution of  SNS pharmaceuticals and the methods to prevent and control insects and other disease from spreading.

Issues of public health related to medical care:

The fact is inevitable that Hurricane Katrina was one of the most dreadful natural disasters in the history of U.S and it put the public health system at great test and exposed the loopholes and the problematic areas of the existing public health care system. It redefined the role and responsibilities of the emergency response and advance preparation in the public health field. The three major issues in the public health related to medical care faced ill-defined roles and the lack of health care personnel needed resulted in an over flow of patients at the hospitals. This issue arose due to the non-establishment of the proper public health care facilities and hospitals. (Boddie, 2015)……………….

 

This is just a sample partical work. Please place the order on the website to get your own originally done case solution.