Emergency preparedness Essay Example for Free

Emergency preparedness Essay Emergency preparedness is a fine art, and the individuals responsible for the planning and preparedness of the emergency response procedures have an awesome responsibility to make sure that they have all the necessary equipment to provide for the people of the community that the hospital serves. If I were the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for a 300-bed urban hospital, I would be stockpiling things like airway management supplies, batteries, generators, flashlights, gowns, gloves, masks, hazmat materials, post-mortem bags, and sterilization equipment. These items would help in the immediate short term when it comes to helping those in need. To also help in the crisis situation, I would purchase water treatment chemicals, water testing equipment, and washers and decontaminators. This equipment is in addition to the equipment and supplies I would already have on hand. I would also make sure I had various antibiotics on hand. For anthrax, I would make sure to have Ciprofloxacin, Doxycycline, and Amoxicillin on hand. For botulism, I would have antibiotics on hand for wound botulism, though antibiotics are ineffective for food borne botulism. If there were an attack of the plague, I would make sure to have streptomycin or gentamycin on hand. I would try to make sure I had antiviral drugs on hand for smallpox, though smallpox does not have a cure. The main way that funding is received is through the state governments. The state governments get the federal funding and then disburse it to the local levels. I would also apply for grants in order to maximize funding to purchase what I needed for my hospital. With the cuts in federal funding, and the rise in prices, the emergency preparedness director’s job gets more difficult. With time and patience, the goal of protecting the public can be accomplished with efficacy and compassion. References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (2009). Anthrax: Treatment. Retrieved March 8, 2009, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site: http://www. bt. cdc. gov/agent/anthrax/treatment Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (2009). Bioterrorism Agents/Diseases. Retrieved March 8, 2009, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site: http://www. bt. cdc. gov/agent/agentlist-category. asp Chan-Tack, K (2009). Botulism: treatment and medication. Retrieved March 8, 2009, from Emedicine Web site: http://emedicine. medscape. com/article/213311-treatment McGill, (2009). Treatment. Retrieved March 8, 2009, from Plague Web site: http://sprojects. mmi. mcgill. ca/tropmed/diase/plauge/treatment. html Medline, (2009). Retrieved March 8, 2009, from Medline Industries Web site: http://www. medline. com/AcuteCare/hospitals. asp National Association of County and City Health Officials, (2007). Federal funding for public health emergency preparedness. Retrieved March 8, 2009, from naccho. org Web site: http://www. naccho. org/press/releases/upload/SurveyReport_Final. pdf WebMD, (2007 Jan 31). Smallpox. Retrieved March 8, 2009, from WebMD Web site: http://www. webmd. com/a-to-z-guides/smallpox-treatment-overview? print=true