Develop a disaster recovery plan to reduce health disparities and improve access to community services after a disaster. Then develop and record a 10–12 slide presentation (please refer to the PowerPoint tutorial) of the plan with audio and speaker notes for the local system, city officials, and the disaster relief team.
Expand All
Professional Context
Nurses perform a variety of roles and their responsibilities as health care providers extend to the community. The decisions we make daily and in times of crisis often involve the balancing of human rights with medical necessities, equitable access to services, legal and ethical mandates, and financial constraints. In the event of a major accident or natural disaster, many issues can complicate decisions concerning the needs of an individual or group, including understanding and upholding rights and desires, mediating conflict, and applying established ethical and legal standards of nursing care. As a nurse, you must be knowledgeable about disaster preparedness and recovery to safeguard those in your care. As an advocate, you are also accountable for promoting equitable services and quality care for the diverse community.
Nurses work alongside first responders, other professionals, volunteers, and the health department to safeguard the community. Some concerns during a disaster and recovery period include the possibility of death and infectious disease due to debris and/or contamination of the water, air, food supply, or environment. Various degrees of injury may also occur during disasters, terrorism, and violent conflicts.
To maximize survival, first responders must use a triage system to assign victims according to the severity of their condition/prognosis in order to allocate equitable resources and provide treatment. During infectious disease outbreaks, triage does not take the place of routine clinical triage.
Trace-mapping becomes an important step to interrupting the spread of all infectious diseases to prevent or curtail morbidity and mortality in the community. A vital step in trace-mapping is the identification of the infectious individual or group and isolating or quarantining them. During the trace-mapping process, these individuals are interviewed to identify those who have had close contact with them. Contacts are notified of their potential exposure, testing referrals become paramount, and individuals are connected with appropriate services they might need during the self-quarantine period (CDC, 2020).
An example of such disaster is the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. People who had contact with someone who were in contact with the COVID-19 virus were encouraged to stay home and maintain social distance (at least 6 feet) from others until 14 days after their last exposure to a person with COVID-19. Contacts were required to monitor themselves by checking their temperature twice daily and watching for symptoms of COVID-19 (CDC, 2020). Local, state, and health department guidelines were essential in establishing the recovery phase. Triage Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in the case of COVID-19 focused on inpatient and outpatient health care facilities that would be receiving, or preparing to receive, suspected, or confirmed COVID- 19 victims. Controlling droplet transmission through hand washing, social distancing, self-quarantine, PPE, installing barriers, education, and standardized triage algorithm/questionnaires became essential to the triage system (CDC, 2020; WHO, 2020).
Preparation
When disaster strikes, community members must be protected. A comprehensive recovery plan, guided by the MAP-IT (Mobilize, Assess, Plan, Implement, Track) framework, is essential to help ensure everyone’s safety. The unique needs of residents must be assessed to reduce health disparities and improve access to equitable services after a disaster. Recovery efforts depend on the appropriateness of the plan, the extent to which key stakeholders have been prepared, the quality of the trace-mapping, and the allocation of available resources. In a time of cost containment, when personnel and resources may be limited, the needs of residents must be weighed carefully against available resources.
In this assessment, you will assume the role of the senior nurse at a regional hospital who has been assigned to develop a disaster recovery plan for the community using MAP-IT and trace-mapping, which you will present to city officials and the disaster relief team.
Review the full scenario and associated data in the Assessment 03 Supplement: Disaster Recover Plan [PDF] Download Assessment 03 Supplement: Disaster Recover Plan [PDF]resource.
You are also encouraged to complete the Disaster Preparedness and Management activity. The information gained from completing this activity will help you succeed with the assessment as you think through key issues in disaster preparedness and management in the community or workplace. Completing activities is also a way to demonstrate engagement.
Begin thinking about:
- Community needs.
- Resources, personnel, budget, and community makeup.
- People accountable for implementation of the disaster recovery plan.
- Healthy People 2020 goals and 2030 objectives.
- A timeline for the recovery effort.
You may also wish to:
- Review the MAP-IT (Mobilize, Assess, Plan, Implement, Track) framework, which you will use to guide the development of your plan:
- Mobilize collaborative partners.
- Assess community needs.
- Plan to lessen health disparities and improve access to services.
- Implement a plan to reach Healthy People 2020 goals or 2030 objectives.
- Track community progress.
- Review the assessment instructions and scoring guide to ensure that you understand the work you will be asked to complete.
Note: Every 10 years, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion release information on health indicators, public health issues, and current trends. At the end of 2020, Healthy People 2030 was released to provide information for the next 10 years. Healthy People 2030 provides the most updated content when it comes to prioritizing public health issues; however, there are historical contents that offer a better understanding of some topics. Disaster preparedness is addressed in Healthy People 2030, but a more robust understanding of MAP-IT, triage, and recovery efforts is found in Healthy People 2020. For this reason, you will find references to both Healthy People 2020 and Healthy People 2030 in this course.
Note: As you revise your writing, check out the resources listed on the Writing Center’s Writing Support page.
Note: If you require the use of assistive technology or alternative communication methods to participate in this activity, please contact [email protected] to request accommodations.
Note: Complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented.
Instructions
First, review the full scenario and associated data in the Assessment 03 Supplement: Disaster Recover Plan [PDF] Download Assessment 03 Supplement: Disaster Recover Plan [PDF]resource.
Then complete the following:
- Develop a disaster recovery plan for the community that will reduce health disparities and improve access to services after a disaster.
- Assess community needs.
- Consider resources, personnel, budget, and community makeup.
- Identify the people accountable for implementation of the plan and describe their roles.
- Focus on specific Healthy People 2020 goals and 2030 objectives.
- Include a timeline for the recovery effort.
- Apply the MAP-IT (Mobilize, Assess, Plan, Implement, Track) framework to guide the development of your plan:
- Mobilize collaborative partners.
- Assess community needs.
- Use the demographic data and specifics related to the disaster to identify the needs of the community and develop a recovery plan. Consider physical, emotional, cultural, and financial needs of the entire community.
- Include in your plan the equitable allocation of services for the diverse community.
- Apply the triage classification to provide a rationale for those who may have been injured during the train derailment. Provide support for your position.
- Include in your plan contact tracing of the homeless, disabled, displaced community members, migrant workers, and those who have hearing impairment or English as a second language in the event of severe tornadoes.
- Plan to reduce health disparities and improve access to services.
- Implement a plan to reach Healthy People 2020 goals and 2030 objectives.
- Track and trace-map community progress.
- Use the CDC’s Contract Tracing Resources for Health Departments as a template to create your contact tracing.
- Describe the plan for contact tracing during the disaster and recovery phase.
- Develop a slide presentation of your disaster recovery plan with an audio recording of you presenting your assessment of the scenario and associated data in the Assessment 03 Supplement: Disaster Recover Plan [PDF] Download Assessment 03 Supplement: Disaster Recover Plan [PDF]resource for city officials and the disaster relief team. Be sure to also include speaker notes.
Presentation Format and Length
You may use Microsoft PowerPoint (preferred) or other suitable presentation software to create your slides and add your voice-over along with speaker notes. If you elect to use an application other than PowerPoint, check with your instructor to avoid potential file compatibility issues.
Be sure that your slide deck includes the following slides:
- Title slide.
- Recovery plan title.
- Your name.
- Date.
- Course number and title.
- References (at the end of your presentation).
Your slide deck should consist of 10–12 content slides plus title and references slides. Use the speaker’s notes section of each slide to develop your talking points and cite your sources as appropriate. Be sure to also include a transcript that matches your recorded voice-over. The transcript can be submitted on a separate Word document. Make sure to review the Microsoft PowerPoint tutorial for directions.
The following resources will help you create and deliver an effective presentation:
- Record a Slide Show With Narration and Slide Timings.
- This Microsoft article provides steps for recording slide shows in different versions of PowerPoint, including steps for Windows, Mac, and online.
- Microsoft Office Software.
- This Campus page includes tip sheets and tutorials for Microsoft PowerPoint.
- PowerPoint Presentations Library Guide.
- This library guide provides links to PowerPoint and other presentation software resources.
- SoNHS Professional Presentation Guidelines [PPTX].
- This presentation, designed especially for the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, offers valuable tips and links, and is itself a PowerPoint template that can be used to create a presentation.
Supporting Evidence
Cite at least three credible sources from peer-reviewed journals or professional industry publications within the past 5 years to support your plan.
Graded Requirements
The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide, so be sure to address each point:
- Describe the determinants of health and the cultural, social, and economic barriers that impact safety, health, and recovery efforts in the community.
- Consider the interrelationships among these factors.
- Explain how your proposed disaster recovery plan will lessen health disparities and improve access to community services.
- Consider principles of social justice and cultural sensitivity with respect to ensuring health equity for individuals, families, and aggregates within the community.
- Explain how health and governmental policy impact disaster recovery efforts.
- Consider the implications for individuals, families, and aggregates within the community of legislation that includes, but is not limited to, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, and the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA).
- Present specific, evidence-based strategies to overcome communication barriers and enhance interprofessional collaboration to improve the disaster recovery effort.
- Consider how your proposed strategies will affect members of the disaster relief team, individuals, families, and aggregates within the community.
- Include evidence to support your strategies.
- Organize content with clear purpose/goals and with relevant and evidence-based sources (published within 5 years).
- Slides are easy to read and error free. Detailed audio and speaker notes are provided. Audio is clear, organized, and professionally presented.
- Develop your presentation with a specific purpose and audience in mind.
- Adhere to scholarly and disciplinary writing standards and APA formatting requirements.
Additional Requirements
Before submitting your assessment, proofread all elements to minimize errors that could distract readers and make it difficult for them to focus on the substance of your presentation.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
Competency 1: Analyze health risks and health care needs among distinct populations.
-
-
- Describe the determinants of health and the cultural, social, and economic barriers that impact safety, health, and disaster recovery efforts in a community.
-
Competency 2: Propose health promotion strategies to improve the health of populations.
-
-
- Present specific, evidence-based strategies to overcome communication barriers and enhance interprofessional collaboration to improve disaster recovery efforts.
-
Competency 3: Evaluate health policies, based on their ability to achieve desired outcomes.
-
-
- Explain how health and governmental policy impact disaster recovery efforts.
-
Competency 4: Integrate principles of social justice in community health interventions.
-
-
- Explain how a proposed disaster recovery plan will lessen health disparities and improve access to community services.
-
Competency 5: Apply professional, scholarly communication strategies to lead health promotion and improve population health.
- Organize content with clear purpose/goals and with relevant and evidence-based sources (published within 5 years).
- Slides are easy to read and error free. Detailed audio, transcript, and speaker notes are provided. Audio is clear, organized, and professionally presented.
1
Assessment 03 – Disaster Recovery Plan
In this assessment, you will assume the role of the senior nurse at a regional hospital who has
been assigned to develop a disaster recovery plan for the community using MAP-IT and trace-
mapping, which you will present to city officials and the disaster relief team.
Before you complete the detailed instructions in the courseroom, first review the full scenario
and associated data below. Please refer back to this resource as necessary while you complete
your assessment.
Introduction
For a health care facility to be able to fill its role in the community, it must actively plan not only
for normal operation, but also for worst-case scenarios which could occur. In such disasters, the
hospital’s services will be particularly crucial, even if the specifics of the disaster make it more
difficult for the facility to stay open.
As the senior nurse at the Smallville Regional Hospital, you play a vital role in ensuring the
hospital’s readiness for disasters and its ability to recover from them. The hospital administrator
wants to discuss disaster preparedness and recovery with you. Before the conversation, it
would be helpful to familiarize yourself with the background information on events that have
occurred in Smallville in recent years, including the involvement of the hospital.
Background
Investigate further for relevant background information.
Newspaper Headline: “Smallville Devastated by Wildfire: Rebuilding and Recovery Underway”
November 8, 2022
Smallville, CA – In a tragic turn of events, the northern California town of Smallville was ravaged
by a devastating wildfire on July 6, 2021. The fire, which quickly spread through the town,
destroyed nearly 19,000 structures and claimed the lives of 31 residents. The community is now
faced with the daunting task of rebuilding and recovering from this catastrophic event.
The fire, known as the Blaze, raced into Smallville with unprecedented speed and intensity,
leaving residents with little time to evacuate. Many were forced to flee on foot, seeking refuge in
parking lots and commercial buildings that were never intended to serve as temporary shelters
in a firestorm.2
The impact of this disaster was felt particularly hard by residents of low socioeconomic status
(SES). People in poverty, with low incomes, and of low SES often face greater challenges in
recovering from disasters. The loss of homes, possessions, and livelihoods has left many in a
state of uncertainty and vulnerability.
However, amidst the devastation, there is hope. The community has come together to support
one another and begin the process of rebuilding. Local organizations, government agencies,
and volunteers have joined forces to provide assistance and resources to those affected by the
fire.
Experts studying the response to disasters like the Blaze emphasize the need for a radical
overhaul in how we prepare for and respond to such events in the era of climate change.
This includes rethinking disaster recovery strategies and implementing measures to mitigate the
impact of future disasters.
The town of Smallville is determined to rise from the ashes and rebuild stronger than ever. City
leaders are working on developing comprehensive emergency plans and evacuation standards
to ensure the safety of residents in the face of future wildfires.
The community is resilient and united in their efforts to restore their beloved town. As the
rebuilding and recovery process continues, it is crucial for the nation to learn from this tragedy
and implement measures to better prepare for and respond to disasters.
The lessons learned from the Blaze will serve as a wake-up call for communities across the
country, emphasizing the importance of proactive planning and effective disaster response
strategies.
Fact Sheet: Smallville, CA
Population: 5,200
Median Household Income: $60,000
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Line: 22%
Racial/Ethnic Composition:
White: 69%
African American: 6%
Native American: 2%
Asian/Pacific Islander: 10%
Other Races: 8%
Two or More Races: 5%3
Additionally, there are an unknown number of undocumented migrant workers with limited
English proficiency.
Education
High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+: 84.0%
Bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+: 18.5%
Health
With a disability, under age 65 years: 10.8%
Persons without health insurance, under age 65 years: 12.5%
Income & Poverty
Median household income: $37,476
Per capita income in past 12 months: $20,274
Persons in poverty: 23.0%
Staff Interviews
Dr. Peter Jenski, Internal Medicine. “The impact of the fire on the residents of Smallville has
been devastating. Many of them have lost their homes, possessions, and livelihoods. The fire
has also had a significant impact on their physical and mental health.”
Bill Reiner, Social Worker: “Yes, I agree. People in low socioeconomic status groups are
particularly vulnerable to the effects of disasters like this one. They often face greater
challenges in recovering from disasters.”
Nurse Kaley Grant, ICU: “That’s right. The fire has increased the risk of respiratory and lung
diseases, which can be particularly harmful to people with pre-existing conditions.”
Dr. Linh Boswell, Psychiatrist: “And let’s not forget about the mental health impact. The
trauma of losing everything in a fire can be overwhelming. Many residents are experiencing
symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.”
Dr. Tom Sowka, Pharmacist: “It’s important that we provide comprehensive care to these
patients, addressing both their physical and mental health needs. We need to work together to
ensure that they receive the care and resources they need to recover from this disaster.”
Dr. Luisa Gonzalez, Hospital Administrator: ” I couldn’t agree more. We need to work
together as a medical community to support the affected residents and implement
comprehensive emergency plans and evacuation standards to mitigate the impact of future
disasters. We can learn from previous disasters and use those lessons to better prepare for
future events.”4
Request from Administrator
Dr. Luisa Gonzalez, Smallville Hospital Administrator, has asked you to present a compelling
case to community stakeholders for the proposed disaster recovery plan. She requests you use
the MAP-IT model, which is a step-by-step, structured plan that can be developed by a coalition
that is tailored to a specific community’s needs.
The MAP-IT model involves all stakeholders, making for a widely-supported and community-
owned effort. It assesses assets as well as needs and looks for ways to use them.
The five steps of the MAP-IT model are:
1. Mobilize individuals and organizations that care about the health of your community into
a coalition.
2. Assess the areas of greatest need in your community, as well as the resources and
other strengths that you can tap into to address those areas.
3. Plan your approach: start with a vision of where you want to be as a community; then
add strategies and action steps to help you achieve that vision.
4. Implement your plan using concrete action steps that can be monitored and will make a
difference.
5. Track your progress over time.
In addition to using the MAP-IT model, work up an approach supported by Healthy People 2020
and put it all into a PowerPoint. You can save the PowerPoint deck and the audio of its
accom