Citation

Klaiman T, Knorr D, Fitzgerald S, Demara P, Thomas C, Heake G, Hausman A. Disaster Med. Public Health Prep. 2010; 4(3): 246-251.

Affiliation

Dr Klaiman is an Assistant Professor at the Jefferson School of Population Health, Ms Knorr is with the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, Baltimore City Health Department, Ms Fitzgerald is with the Office of Public Health Preparedness, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Mr DeMara is with the City of Philadelphia's Emergency Management Department, Mr Thomas is with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Mr Heake is with the Institute on Disabilities, Pennsylvania Initiative on Assistive Technology, Temple University, and Dr Hausman is with the Temple University Center for Preparedness Research, Education, and Practice.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Publisher Cambridge University Press)

DOI

10.1001/dmp.2010.25

PMID

21149222

Abstract

Vulnerable populations tend to have the worst health outcomes during and after disasters; however, these populations are rarely included in the emergency planning process. In Philadelphia, the Department of Public Health and the Office of Emergency Management have reached out to community-based organizations that serve vulnerable populations to include these key stakeholders in emergency planning. In this article, we outline strategies for locating, engaging, and communicating with vulnerable populations about both organizational and personal emergency preparedness. Such strategies include creating a method for bidirectional communication via a free quarterly health newsletter that is distributed to community-based organizations serving vulnerable populations. We also note successes and next steps from engaging vulnerable populations in the planning process in Philadelphia.

Language: en