I’m so glad to have the opportunity to write a blog about hospital emergency preparedness because every day, you see amazing things happening by hospital emergency teams. In the past few months, the amazing evacuations in east coast hospitals and the incredible efforts by hospital workers and the community in Joplin. And with the recent 10th anniversary of 9/11, there’s no better reminder of why I’m glad I’ve been part of this field since 1994.
In 1993, I participated in my first disaster response, one that I’m both proud of and still embarrassed about. Several years after the end of WWII, my grandparents built their dream home in Southern California. It served as a central hub for our extended family and I have fond memories of vacations and holidays spent there. At the time, I was working at the San Diego Health Department and received a call from one of their neighbors that all had evacuated due to a raging fire. I immediately left my office and made the 60 mile drive in record time. The fire department had blocked off the street but I knew all the shortcuts through neighbor’s yards so was able to secretively make my way to their home. I was relieved to find their house and neighborhood undamaged. However, later that evening the fire began to move in and I spent the night with shovel and hose putting out embers as they pelted the house. In the morning, my grandparents’ home survived with the exception of some smoke damage and a lot of burned areas in the yard. I was glad the house was saved but later mortified to think my actions could have put others in danger.
This adventure was an epiphany and career changer. Within a few months, I took a job in Los Angeles helping with recovery efforts following the Northridge Earthquake. Since then, I’ve been a part of multiple public health and hospital emergency management planning campaigns as well as actual responses. Following each incident, all involved worked hard to identify gaps in capabilities and seek out resources to fill those gaps using training, mitigation activities and subsequently better exercises. However, it wasn’t until the September 11th attacks that the field of emergency management really changed. Those events seemed to galvanize leaders from across the country to mobilize expertise and provide funding to better equip and support response agencies, including healthcare organizations for addressing new and existing threats.
With this new support, response agencies have been able to plan and respond more frequently with other community organizations, including public health and healthcare. To me, a few of the greatest benefits realized from this funding include more universal planning activities, a greater emphasis on coalition building and strategic planning helping to forge response plans that are more practical and make better sense. So when I read about heroic medical responses like those in Tuscaloosa or Joplin and see state governors actively engaged days before a hurricane strikes, I’m thankful for the many who are committed to this field, their willingness to embrace change and the lives saved by their dedication.
