10). They also provide resources and supplies to those working with the department of health. The liaison officer must ensure that all agency policies, procedures and sovereignty are respected by all involved in the relief effort.
The public health nurse is expected to liaise with members of the public who are injured or traumatized by the events related to the disaster. The nurse is also expected to help provide for those in need of regular or immediate medications or vaccinations. Those in a state of fragile health need particular guidance when their support systems are compromised by the disaster.
The chain of command involved in the simulation included Chris Newhouse as the EOC Commander, who worked with five people in the positions of Safety Officer, Liaison Officer, Public Information Officer, Legal Officer, and EOC Coordinator. Directly subordinate to these positions were the Operations, Chief, Logistics Chief, Financial/Admin Chief, and Planning/Intelligence Chief. These positions are supported by five Branch Directors, including Community Service, Medical/Health, Fire, Public Works, and Law Enforcement. The final element in the chain of command was the Public Health Group.
In a disaster situation, the community health nurse is often required to deal with situations outside his or her direct scope of practice. Such situations include potential health hazards as a result of contaminated food or water, in turn resulting from a lack of electricity supply to homes. Furthermore, many households may include young children and babies with needs such as diapers, formula milk, and bottled baby food. These supplies can be offered by the logistics chief, while the public communications officer can provide information regarding contaminated food or water supplies.
The community health nurse may need to deal with emergency situations such as people dependent on particular medications such as insulin shots for diabetes. She might also be required to offer assistance or advice regarding the health of young children, babies, or old people who are in a fragile state of health. Finally,...
9), nurses are often required to not only cope with the emotional fallout of others during a disaster, but also with their own response to upsetting situations. Hence, nurses in such a situation should first ensure that their own mental resiliency is intact. When dealing with the fears of those being interviewed, a nurse can then act as reassuring agent, providing clear evidence of agencies working to restore lost resources and power as quickly as possible. Powerful assurance was offered by letting interviewees know how long they could expect to be without power and resources available to help cope with food and water shortages.
When faced with a larger affected area after a natural disaster, preparedness can be ensured by using the smaller-scale disaster as a guide for future, larger scale action. Documents such as those by Lister (2005) can also be used for training purposes, offering critical thinking opportunities for what actions can be improved in future, similar conditions.
References
Lister, S.A. (2005, Sep. 21). Hurricane Katrina: The Public health and Medical Response. CRS Report for Congress. Retrieved from: http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/54255.pdf
Powers, R. (n.d.). Introduction to Disasters and Disaster Nursing. Retrieved from: http://www.wadem.org/documents/chapter_one.pdf
Qureshi, K., Gebbie, K.M., and Gebbie, E.N. (2005, Oct.). PHICS Volume 2: A Guide for the Management of Emergencies or Other Unusual Incidents within Public Health Agencies. Public Health Incident Command System. Retrieved from: http://www.njcphp.org/legacy/drup/sites/default/files/PHICS_vol1_2005.pdf
