OBJECTIVE To demonstrate the application of economics to health care preparedness by estimating the financial return on investment in a substate regional emergency response team and to develop a financial model aimed at sustaining community-level disaster readiness. METHODS Economic evaluation methods were applied to the experience of a regional Pennsylvania response capability. A cost-benefi...

UNLABELLED Guidelines for the design of emergency communications were derived from primary research and interrogation of the literature. The guidelines were used to re-design a nuclear emergency preparedness leaflet routinely distributed to households in the local area. Pre-test measures of memory for, and self-reported understanding of, nuclear safety information were collected. The findings r...

As a nation, America is faced with the ongoing threat of terrorist activity from individuals and groups throughout the world and at home. In response to this reality, it is critical that steps be taken in the workplace to prevent acts of terrorism where possible, and be prepared to minimize adverse effects of terrorism that cannot be prevented. It is essential that traditional emergency prepare...

This study assessed the direct human resource costs of a hospital's emergency preparedness planning (in 2005) by surveying participants retrospectively. Forty participants (74% of the identified population) were surveyed. Using the self-reported hourly salary of the participant, a direct salary cost was calculated for each participant. The population was 40% male and 60% female; 65% had a gradu...

In response to concern about strengthening the nation's ability to protect its population and way of life (i.e., security) and ability to adapt and recover from emergencies (i.e., resilience), the President of the United States issued Presidential Policy Directive 8: National Preparedness (PPD-8) (1). Signed on March 30, 2011, PPD-8 is a directive for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to...

To the Editor: Calls to develop skill-based competencies for emergency preparedness for health professionals—including physician trainees—predate the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In June 2001, an American College of Emergency Physicians task force recommended that residents and medical students achieve proficiency in bioterrorism and weapons of mass destruction.1 Unfortunately, in t...

While different governments worldwide have published sets of recommendations-or even laws-for increasing preparedness, a reference framework to assess the level of compliance of organizations is still to come. For instance, emergency plans often remain stored in closets where they stay until some emergency or major legal change occurs. Consequently, achieving actual preparedness is difficult to...