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American Public Health Association
133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition
December 10-14, 2005
Philadelphia, PA
APHA 2005
 
4087.0: Tuesday, December 13, 2005 - Board 2

Abstract #121295

Linking the public health functions and disaster preparedness

Martha S. Wingate, DrPH, Andrew C. Rucks, PhD, Lisa McCormick, MPH, and Peter M. Ginter, PhD. South Central Center for Public Health Preparedness, University of Alabama at Birmingham, RPHB 330, 1530 3rd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35294, (205)934-6783, mslay@uab.edu

After the events September 11, 2001 and the immediate call for reinforcement of the public health infrastructure, there has been much discussion regarding the reallocation of public health resources to disaster preparedness efforts, specifically bioterrorism preparedness. Some argue that preparedness detracts from public health practice, especially for specific direct- and population-based services. Preparedness proponents argue that the disaster preparedness funds are critical for the growth and development of the public health infrastructure, the cornerstone of public health practice. The purpose of this paper is to describe the relationship between preparedness and core public health functions by presenting the core functions and ten essential services in the context of five phases of all-hazards preparedness. Preparedness for all-hazards in public health involves five phases: prevention, deterrence, and planning; pre-event; event; post-event; and recovery. For each one of the phases, it is possible to relate specific activities that are undertaken by public health agencies to the core public health functions (assessment, assurance, and policy development). In addition, the ten essential public health services can be applied to each of the five phases and provide specific tasks to assist in developing sound preparedness activities. Moreover, linking the public health functions and essential services can provide public health agencies and practitioners with useful ideas that could provoke creativity to utilize the preparedness funding to build public health practice infrastructure as well. This presentation will provide examples of such relationships.

Learning Objectives:

  • At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

    Keywords: Bioterrorism, Public Health Infrastructure

    Presenting author's disclosure statement:

    I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

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