Terrorism and disaster management : preparing healthcare leaders for the new reality

Disaster preparedness goes far beyond drafting a plan. As a healthcare leader, you must ensure that your organization has the appropriate programs and trained staff in place to respond quickly to any disaster event or threat. But you may be struggling with questions such as, "Where does my facility fit into communitywide preparedness systems?"; "Who is in charge, and what do they expect of me?"; and "What do I need to do first?" These questions and more are answered throughout this book. This resource focuses on planning and preparedness, with a special emphasis on issues of terrorism. Leaders in the fields of emergency medicine, law, and terrorism response provide guidance in the areas of: Understanding the legal and ethical issues surrounding disaster planning and preparedness Obtaining disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Navigating the confusing web of governmental and agency direction, control, and oversight Achieving and maintaining local interagency cooperation Integrating civilian and military response Meeting the preparedness needs of special populations Presented by certified legal nurse consultant McGlown, 13 papers discuss, for healthcare administrators, planning and preparedness for disaster (especially terrorism). Topics include the implementation of standards and guidelines for emergency management, facility protection, issues of special needs populations, public health aspects of weapons of mass destruction, legal and ethical considerations, disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and lessons from the Israeli experience. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR "The number of natural disasters, the people affected by them, and the economic costs associated with them have been steadily increasing since the 1950s."