Welcome to Modern Healthcare's online site for news and analysis when disaster strikes and public health and safety issues become a priority. Primary sources will be Modern Healthcare staff reporting as well as stories from other news organizations and reports from government sites and public health agencies.
By Jessica Zigmond November 09, 2009 In time for last week's one-year anniversary of his election as the nation's 44th president, Barack Obama completed his roster for the nation's public health team. Now these critical players must work together as they battle a global flu pandemic and a host of other mounting public health threats—during a sluggish economy—while federal lawmakers have yet to agree on serious health reform. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond June 24, 2009 Continued disaster-planning drills, improved communication among federal, state and local providers, and the use of electronic health records are some best practices that could help seniors during disasters, experts told lawmakers at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. ... FULL STORY
By Andis Robeznieks / HITS staff writer June 04, 2009 Computer simulations can be used to improve U.S. hospital disaster preparations, according to a study in the American Medical Association’s Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness journal which modeled a release of poisonous sarin vapor in Manhattan public transportation centers that had the potential to expose some 22,000 people to its harmful effects leading to 178 intensive-care unit admissions.Researchers used population statistics, and plugged in data on the New York City borough's healthcare resources such as available hospital beds, emergency department services,... ... FULL STORY
By Matthew DoBias April 23, 2009 America’s hospitals are better prepared to mitigate disasters and public health emergencies than they were eight years ago, but nevertheless are still hindered by communication gaps and potential funding woes, according to a new report conducted for HHS by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. ... FULL STORY
By Andis Robeznieks April 07, 2009 A process known as “reverse triage” may hold the key to ensuring a hospital has enough bed capacity to handle a surge of patients after a disaster situation, according to a study published today in the American Medical Association’s journal Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. ... FULL STORY
March 28, 2009 Seeking to avoid a Hurricane Katrina-like leadership failure, President Barack Obama assured the nation Saturday that he was keeping close watch on the Midwest floods and putting the government's full weight behind efforts to prevent disaster. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond March 11, 2009 The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation said it will fund a $19 million program called Public Health Law Research to be managed by the James E. Beasley School of Law at Temple University in Philadelphia. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond February 09, 2009 Highly skilled flight crews, scenario-based training, and the use of technological devices are essential to improving air ambulance safety, according to experts who testified at a National Transportation Safety Board hearing last week. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond February 03, 2009 HHS, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are using social-media tools to relay information about the recall of peanut butter and other peanut products linked to recent outbreaks of Salmonella typhimurium. ... FULL STORY
By Jennifer Lubell December 15, 2008 Officials for the nation’s emergency departments last week called on the government to provide more resources to help prevent overcrowding, yet some experts argue that additional quality measures need to be developed to fully improve emergency care. ... FULL STORY
December 09, 2008 Cuts in federal and state funding are putting the country at risk for reversing the progress made on health emergency preparedness for the first time since public-health and disaster-preparedness experts began tracking trends in 2002, according to an annual report. ... FULL STORY
December 09, 2008 The nation merits only a C- for its support of emergency care, according to a report card issued by the American College of Emergency Physicians. ... FULL STORY
November 14, 2008 Traditional healthcare quality metrics should be applied to develop performance measures in hospital emergency management, according to a new study. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond November 03, 2008 The safety of emergency medical services operations became a greater national priority last week when the National Transportation Safety Board added EMS flight operations to its federal “most wanted” list of safety improvements for 2009.Created in 1990, the most-wanted list is intended to raise public awareness and support for transportation safety issues. The other items added for next year include restricting the use of cell phones by motor-coach drivers and requiring electronic onboard recorders for all motor carriers. ... FULL STORY
October 21, 2008 A majority of voters say that the federal government should play a larger role in public health, taking measures to help stanch the causes of chronic illness while better preparing for natural disasters like hurricanes or tornados, according to a new report by the Trust for America’s Health. ... FULL STORY
By Jean DerGurahian/ HITS staff writer September 29, 2008 The federal government should develop a “clear, current strategic vision” for the national disaster medical system, or NDMS according to recommendations made to the National Biodefense Science Board. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond September 22, 2008 The healthcare industry’s response to Hurricane Ike last week was helped by lessons learned about collaboration and communication in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita three years ago.Comparisons to those 2005 storms were inevitable after Ike, the nation’s latest natural disaster, pounded Galveston, Texas, in the early morning hours of Sept. 13. The storm—a Category 2 hurricane—also affected Houston and the state’s “Golden Triangle” region of Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange, and many areas were still without power at deadline. ... FULL STORY
By Gregg Blesch September 22, 2008 Months before two hurricanes pounded the Gulf Coast and their remnants brought torrential rains to many parts of the heartland, a small Indiana hospital knew a thing or two about how to come back from a devastating flood. Up until June 7, Columbus (Ind.) Regional Hospital’s leaders were about to build a new emergency room and patient tower, and then heavy rains overwhelmed the path of the trickle called Haw Creek that runs through the campus. Then it was time to rebuild the old building rather than build a new one. Water filled the 235-bed hospital’s 12-foot basement, wiping out the... ... FULL STORY
September 15, 2008 Lack of power, fuel and water are the most serious concerns facing Texas hospitals hit by Hurricane Ike over the weekend, according to the Texas Hospital Association in Austin. ... FULL STORY
By Jennifer Lubell September 08, 2008 Hurricane Gustav offered the Gulf Coast healthcare industry what turned out to be a real-life drill to test newly improved disaster-relief tools, yet some providers warn that more federal capital is needed to boost a still-ailing healthcare system in Louisiana and other states.READ MORE: Healthcare Hurricane ... FULL STORY
September 02, 2008 In declaring a public-health emergency in states affected by Hurricane Gustav, HHS is waiving certain program requirements for providers to ensure that beneficiaries in public-health programs continue to receive healthcare items and services. The declaration was issued Aug. 31 and applies to individuals enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. ... FULL STORY
By Associated Press September 02, 2008 NEW ORLEANS--Checkpoints popped up around New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav to keep the city empty of residents so work could get under way to restore power and other critical services knocked out by the storm. Gov. Bobby Jindal said officials were focused on taking care of the roughly 1,000 critical needs medical patients evacuated from hospitals and nursing homes. ... FULL STORY
July 21, 2008 The departments of Homeland Security and HHS, together with other federal agencies, should help states address gaps in planning for an influenza pandemic, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond July 21, 2008 In a new report to Congress, HHS said it has advanced research, development and acquisition activities to prepare the nation for biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological threats while significantly reorganizing to lead those efforts. ... FULL STORY
July 14, 2008 Despite struggling with critical components of a federal emergency-preparedness plan, state officials said that, by and large, they have met key measures to help them mitigate a mass-casualty event, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office. ... FULL STORY
July 09, 2008 Feather River Hospital in Paradise, Calif., has been evacuated as thousands in the rural Northern California region flee a raging wildfire.A total of 38 patients were transferred to other facilities Tuesday. The 46-bed hospital moved five critical-care patients early in the day, then at 8 p.m. Tuesday night decided to close the hospital, including its emergency room, and move the remaining patients to two other hospitals, officials said in a news release. Some patients also were discharged. ... FULL STORY
July 08, 2008 The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has released a primer for home-healthcare agencies on preparing for a flu pandemic. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond July 07, 2008 Editor's Note:The death toll from the Flagstaff, Ariz., crash reached seven with the death of registered nurse James Taylor, 36, who died July 4. This story has been updated to reflect that.Despite the alarming number of U.S. air ambulance crashes in the first half of 2008—which have claimed 17 lives—several healthcare providers say the benefits of air medical services still outweigh the risks involved. ... FULL STORY
By Richard Whitley July 01, 2008 In May, the 2007-08 influenza season “officially” came to a close. It will be remembered as the most severe in the past four years, causing the deaths of an estimated 69 American children. Meanwhile, the H5N1 virus—the avian flu—which has been spreading among bird populations in Asia and other parts of the world, claimed its 241st human victim in April. While the two threats are separate, it’s critical that we view the influenza virus—whether “seasonal” or “pandemic”—as a singular enemy. ... FULL STORY
By Steven Gravely and Erin Whaley June 24, 2008 A new report on providing critical care in the wake of a disaster has healthcare providers around the country assessing whether they are prepared to meet both the scope and sustained level of care that could be required of them. ... FULL STORY
June 03, 2008 HHS should develop a plan for health screening and monitoring services for disaster responders that incorporates the lessons learned from the health programs developed after Sept. 11, 2001, the Government Accountability Office recommended in a new report. ... FULL STORY
May 07, 2008 HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt strongly rebuffed Democratic lawmakers who charge that proposed cuts to Medicaid would cripple hospitals’ ability to handle a mass-casualty event, saying that the federal share of the program is “for people, not for institutions.” ... FULL STORY
May 05, 2008 Three White House-backed Medicaid regulations, if imposed, would severely cripple how hospitals respond to a mass-casualty event and could ultimately harm patients who were already admitted, according to a staff report released by House Democrats and supported by emergency department personnel who were on Capitol Hill for a hearing on the topic. ... FULL STORY
May 05, 2008 U.S. and Canadian experts together have developed a model for managing critical-care resources during pandemic outbreaks or other major disasters. ... FULL STORY
By Chris Van Gorder May 05, 2008 On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, after the World Trade Center attack, I raced to the office to meet with senior staff to review our disaster plans and monitor the events in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. Even though we were 3,000 miles away in San Diego, we knew that we needed to review our preparedness and analyze what we might be able to do to help our colleagues on the East Coast. I asked Brent Eastman, our chief medical officer, a rhetorical question: “Are we prepared?” The question was rhetorical because we both knew the answer—“No.” ... FULL STORY
April 29, 2008 Citing a new report from the Government Accountability Office, Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) criticized the Homeland Security Department for not doing enough to help state and local employees prepare for a national disaster. ... FULL STORY
April 16, 2008 Inadequate funding, uncompetitive salaries, retiring employees and lack of public interest have contributed to a workforce shortage for local health departments in a trend that is likely to continue, according to a new study by the Center for Studying Health System Change. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond February 25, 2008 If healthcare providers want to establish effective emergency-response plans, they need to embrace a concept that could contradict the very way they do business: collaboration first, hospital mission second. ... FULL STORY
By Associated Press
November 14, 2008 People across Southern California on Nov. 13 looked like they had stepped out of a disaster movie. Children ducked under their desks. Victims with fake blood lay on the ground. First responders sprang into action to treat the "wounded."The controlled chaos was all part of a mock "Big One"—an earthquake drill billed as the largest in U.S. history and aimed at testing the preparedness of governments, emergency responders and residents.At 10 a.m. local time, a cast of millions dropped to the ground, covered their heads and held onto furniture. Local television stations interrupted their... ... FULL STORY
By Associated Press October 21, 2008 The good news is most countries have plans to deal with a global bird flu pandemic. The bad news is most of those plans are untested and could fail, United Nations officials are saying. ... FULL STORY
By New York Times October 16, 2008 Mother Nature goes to extremes in the summer, spoiling the gift of good weather with hurricanes, heat waves, fires and floods. This year she started early. On May 2, Cyclone Nargis laid waste to large parts of Myanmar.Wealthy nations are much better protected from the so-called natural hazards, but by no means have they been spared this year. ... FULL STORY
By Associated Press September 15, 2008 HOUSTON—Jeannine Burks stood outside her Houston home and surveyed the damage from Hurricane Ike: Tree limbs, debris and standing water everywhere. She had no power, no phones, and had only just back got her water pressure.In other words, she got lucky."I have a roof over my house. I've got windows, and a cool front coming tomorrow," said Burks, who lives in the city's Sharpstown neighborhood. "Anytime you go through one of these with just broken trees and no power, you're doing good."Some in America's fourth-largest city fared worse, others better, but the consensus among residents... ... FULL STORY
By Associated Press June 13, 2008 Rising water from the Cedar River forced the evacuation of a hospital in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa -- 236-bed Mercy Medical Center -- on June 13 after residents of more than 3,000 homes fled for higher ground. A railroad bridge collapsed, and 400 city blocks were under water. Cedar Rapids was the hardest-hit city in Iowa, where Gov. Chet Culver declared 83 of the state's 99 counties as state disaster areas and nine rivers were at or above historic flood levels. ... FULL STORY
