An Electronic Health Application for Disaster Recovery

Natural disasters often destroy the fixed wired communications infrastructure. Therefore relying on such infrastructure after a catastrophe can be risky. Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) can provide wireless network coverage without relying on a wired backbone infrastructure or dedicated access points. In this paper, we focus on using WMNs in disaster recovery areas in order to disseminate information from patient to doctors. We investigate whether we can deploy an electronic-health application on top of an ad hoc peer to peer network. The initial prototype shows that it is feasible. However the application quality varies depending on the number of multi-hops and the applications concurrently running on top of the WMN networks

Disaster E-Health Framework for Community Resilience

Disaster management and the health sector ought to be natural allies, but there are few examples of the collaborative planning and application of disaster healthcare involving emergency managers and care practitioners. The different origins, culture, and priorities of the various agencies tasked with disaster healthcare mean that communication and coordination between them is often lacking, leading to delayed, sub-standard, or inappropriate care for disaster victims. The potential of the new e-health technologies, such as the electronic health record, telehealth and mobile health, that are revolutionizing non-disaster healthcare, is also not being realised. These circumstances have led to an international project to develop a disaster e-health framework that can inform national disaster and health strategies. This paper describes this project and its extension to embrace community resilience that strengthens preparedness, safeguards life during the disaster phase, and assists long-term recovery to preserve the health and basic values of citizens

The Role of Transportation in Campus Emergency Planning, MTI Report 08-06

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina created the greatest natural disaster in American history. The states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama sustained significant damage, including 31 colleges and universities. Other institutions of higher education, most notably Louisiana State University (LSU), became resources to the disaster area. This is just one of the many examples of disaster impacts on institutions of higher education. The Federal Department of Homeland Security, under Homeland Security Presidential Directive–5, requires all public agencies that want to receive federal preparedness assistance to comply with the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which includes the creation of an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). Universities, which may be victims or resources during disasters, must write NIMS–compliant emergency plans. While most university emergency plans address public safety and logistics management, few adequately address the transportation aspects of disaster response and recovery. This MTI report describes the value of integrating transportation infrastructure into the campus emergency plan, including planning for helicopter operations. It offers a list of materials that can be used to educate and inform campus leadership on campus emergency impacts, including books about the Katrina response by LSU and Tulane Hospital, contained in the report´s bibliography. It provides a complete set of Emergency Operations Plan checklists and organization charts updated to acknowledge lessons learned from Katrina, 9/11 and other wide–scale emergencies. Campus emergency planners can quickly update their existing emergency management documents by integrating selected annexes and elements, or create new NIMS–compliant plans by adapting the complete set of annexes to their university´s structures

Identifying common problems in the acquisition and deployment of large-scale software projects in the US and UK healthcare systems

Public and private organizations are investing increasing amounts into the development of healthcare information technology. These applications are perceived to offer numerous benefits. Software systems can improve the exchange of information between healthcare facilities. They support standardised procedures that can help to increase consistency between different service providers. Electronic patient records ensure minimum standards across the trajectory of care when patients move between different specializations. Healthcare information systems also offer economic benefits through efficiency savings; for example by providing the data that helps to identify potential bottlenecks in the provision and administration of care. However, a number of high-profile failures reveal the problems that arise when staff must cope with the loss of these applications. In particular, teams have to retrieve paper based records that often lack the detail on electronic systems. Individuals who have only used electronic information systems face particular problems in learning how to apply paper-based fallbacks. The following pages compare two different failures of Healthcare Information Systems in the UK and North America. The intention is to ensure that future initiatives to extend the integration of electronic patient records will build on the ‘lessons learned’ from previous systems

Generic Continuity of Operations/Continuity of Government Plan for State-Level Transportation Agencies, Research Report 11-01

The Homeland Security Presidential Directive 20 (HSPD-20) requires all local, state, tribal and territorial government agencies, and private sector owners of critical infrastructure and key resources (CI/KR) to create a Continuity of Operations/Continuity of Government Plan (COOP/COG). There is planning and training guidance for generic transportation agency COOP/COG work, and the Transportation Research Board has offered guidance for transportation organizations. However, the special concerns of the state-level transportation agency’s (State DOT’s) plan development are not included, notably the responsibilities for the entire State Highway System and the responsibility to support specific essential functions related to the State DOT Director’s role in the Governor’s cabinet. There is also no guidance on where the COOP/COG planning and organizing fits into the National Incident Management System (NIMS) at the local or state-level department or agency. This report covers the research conducted to determine how to integrate COOP/COG into the overall NIMS approach to emergency management, including a connection between the emergency operations center (EOC) and the COOP/COG activity. The first section is a presentation of the research and its findings and analysis. The second section provides training for the EOC staff of a state-level transportation agency, using a hybrid model of FEMA’s ICS and ESF approaches, including a complete set of EOC position checklists, and other training support material. The third section provides training for the COOP/COG Branch staff of a state-level transportation agency, including a set of personnel position descriptions for the COOP/COG Branch members

The role of electronic payments in disaster recovery: providing more than convenience

On May 3-4, 2006, the Payment Cards Center hosted a two-day conference titled “The Role of Electronic Payments in Disaster Recovery: Providing More Than Convenience.” The event brought together participants from a range of groups, including financial institutions and other financial service providers; federal and state government and national relief agencies; and the bank regulatory community. Participants examined the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina and considered how these experiences may be useful in identifying opportunities to further strengthen the financial system’s response to future catastrophic events.Disaster relief

Development Of Planning Support System For Urban Rehabilitation And Reconstruction In Case Sidoarjo Mud Flow Post Disaster

Sidoarjo mud disaster impact that has lasted more than 3 years are very influential on other aspects of life in Porong and surrounding areas. The need for information systems that can inform the public about the catastrophic conditions is absolutely necessary. In previous research has established a disaster management information system that is treated with the approach to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) consisting of the phases of mitigation, evacuation and warning his own. Mitigation system that was built covering the field of catastrophe risk modeling using network analysis, mapping mudguard embankment area, information about alternative routes and other public facilities information. Evacuation system provides information on areas that can be used as an evacuation site if a disaster occurs, such as health centers and referral hospitals and information about the stages of evacuation if the disaster occurs. Early warning system that allows agencies related to the Sidoarjo Mud Mitigation Agency (BPLS) provide information directly via WEB and SMS that can be accessed by the public via the WEB and SMS. Mitigation system that was built covering the field of catastrophe risk modeling using network analysis, mapping mudguard embankment area, information about alternative routes and other public facilities information. Evacuation system provides information on areas that can be used as an evacuation site if a disaster occurs, such as health centers and referral hospitals and information about the stages of evacuation if the disaster occurs. Early warning system that allows agencies related to the Sidoarjo Mud Mitigation Agency (BPLS) provide information directly via WEB and SMS that can be accessed by the public via the WEB and SMS. Mitigation system that was built covering the field of catastrophe risk modeling using network analysis, mapping mudguard embankment area, information about alternative routes and other public facilities information. Evacuation system provides information on areas that can be used as an evacuation site if a disaster occurs, such as health centers and referral hospitals and information about the stages of evacuation if the disaster occurs. Early warning system that allows agencies related to the Sidoarjo Mud Mitigation Agency (BPLS) provide information directly via WEB and SMS that can be accessed by the public via the WEB and SMS. The next stage is the stage of recovery. To that end, the research platform designed with integrated GIS Decision Systems (DSS) for regional development planning. Platform that includes a planned relocation of the transportation system and the relocation industry. Relocation of industrial zones by the method of analytical hierarchy process to produce recommendations relocate industrial park. Modeling facility relocation alternative transport route network transformation results