Volunteers' perceived preparedness, training, experiences and satisfaction in a mass COVID-19 pandemic vaccine clinic

In this paper, we present formal and informal volunteers' perceived experiences of a mass vaccination clinic for COVID-19 in central Texas. Volunteers at one or more of our team's vaccination events responded to an anonymous survey to share perceptions of their preparedness, training experiences, communication effectiveness and satisfaction, to help us identify opportunities to improve volunteer training and engagement for responses to pandemics. Overall, the volunteers perceived their work to be meaningful, felt prepared and were satisfied with their experiences as volunteers. A dedicated team that communicates well and emphasizes a team approach is key to success, especially in unprecedented situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications for future volunteer training and involvement in disaster responses are discussed.

Kidney health for all: preparedness for the unexpected in supporting the vulnerable

As the rate of natural disasters and other devastating events caused by human activities increases, the burden on the health and well-being of those affected by kidney disease has been immeasurable. Health system preparedness, which involves creating a resilient system that is able to deal with the health needs of the entire community during times of unexpected disruptions to usual care, has become globally important. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a heightened awareness of the amplification of negative effects on the renal community. Paradoxically, the complex medical needs of those who have kidney diseases are not met by systems handling crises, often compounded by an acute increase in burden via new patients as a result of the crisis itself. Disruptions in kidney care as a result of unexpected events are becoming more prevalent and likely to increase in the years to come. It is therefore only appropriate that the theme for this year's World Kidney Day will focus on Kidney Health for All: preparedness for the unexpected in supporting the vulnerable. © 2023 JSC Vidal Rus. All rights reserved.

Pediatric Behavioral Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Expert Advice for Preparedness, Response, and Recovery.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the child mental health crisis and existing disparities. Child anxiety, depression, suicide attempts and completions, and mental-health-related emergency department visits significantly increased. In response to this crisis, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) developed behavioral health task forces associated with funded pediatric centers of disaster excellence. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funded the Pediatric Pandemic Network (PPN) to prepare for future endemics and pandemics, with behavioral health identified as a priority in mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. This commentary provides insights from pediatric disaster preparedness and response behavioral health subject matter experts. Our roles have been to identify how to build behavioral health professional competencies across disciplines and various medical settings and to strengthen emergency interdisciplinary behavioral health care capability regionally and at the national level. Specific examples of interdisciplinary training and demonstration projects are included as models for enhancing behavioral health situational awareness and developing curricula to support preparedness and response for the current ongoing pandemic and future natural and biological disasters. This commentary also includes a call to action for workforce development to move beyond a boots-on-the-ground mentality for pediatric behavioral health disaster preparedness and response toward a more inclusive role for behavioral health providers of varied specialties. This means that behavioral health providers should become more informed of federal programs in this area, seek further training, and find innovative ways to collaborate with their medical colleagues and community partners.

The role of lean information flows in disaster construction projects: exploring the UK's Covid surge hospital projects

A substantive body of work in project studies argues that an "information flow" lens is very useful in exploring the project management of construction. This paper posits that this is even more applicable to disaster construction projects and, furthermore, lean information flow may play a role in swiftly delivering the disaster construction project. The paper uses the qualitative empirics of the delivery of the UK's Covid surge hospital projects to demonstrate that lean information flows were employed in these projects and assisted in enabling delivery at speed. The paper also describes the autopoietic governance conditions that are necessary for lean information flows to flourish in disaster construction projects and the role that trust may play in these conditions. It warns against some of the drawbacks in enabling lean communication through autopoietic governance.

The Kaiser Permanente Northern California COVID-19 physician redeployment experience: Redeploying physicians to meet the demands of the pandemic

This paper describes a redeployment programme developed by Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KP NCAL) to meet physician staffing needs during five COVID-19 surges in Northern California. By leveraging two existing programmes, creating a flexible system of redeployment levels, and supporting the system with a robust training programme, the physician redeployment programme effectively addressed physician staffing needs, maximised excellent patient care, and supported KP NCAL physicians during the pandemic. The programme delivered care to over 131,000 outpatients with COVID-19 infection and redeployed physicians into more than 800 inpatient shifts. © Henry Stewart Publications, 1749–9216.

Student Perspective of Team Dynamics before and after a Disaster Response Course

Purpose of Study We need to understand the COVID-19 pandemic impact on healthcare students. Loma Linda University requires an annual Critical Incident Response Course for graduating students about the importance of interprofessional teamwork in a disaster response. We surveyed students about the pandemic impact on their lives. Methods Used This is a mixed methods multidisciplinary cohort study of healthcare students (n=442). The 2020 course consisted of asynchronous content (eight hours) and a synchronous virtual meeting (two hours) focusing on triage, disaster simulation, and interprofessional teamwork. Students completed a pre/post survey on the COVID-19 pandemic response. We report both descriptive statistics and qualitative results from two independent coders. Summary of Results Respondents included Medicine (n=149), Nursing Undergraduate (n=169), Nursing Graduate (n=16), Pharmacy (n=45), Dentistry (n=58), Other (n=5). Inter-rater reliability for coded answers exceeded, k=0.827 (Cohen's kappa analysis). Students reported observing examples of efficient teamwork (77%) compared to 42% reporting inefficiencies. The most common efficiency was Mutual Support/ Collaboration (50%) and the least reported was Team Structure (6%). Most common inefficiency was communication (41%) and the least was adaptability (4%). Students believed their profession will be different after COVID-19 (76%). The most reported anticipated change was Disaster Preparedness/ Infection control (59%). Post-coursework survey showed 55% reported a stronger understanding of their profession's impact on disaster management. Individuals reported changing behavior during the pandemic (84%). The biggest change was in sleep: 15% reported a decrease and 41% reported an increase, followed by connecting with people (21% decrease, 39% increase). The biggest unmet need was Money (27%). The most helpful resources were Friends/Family (89%) and Social Media (43%). 34% volunteered or worked at an essential workplace. Conclusions Healthcare students reported that communication, mutual support, and understanding one's interprofessional contribution are the core of fighting a pandemic. Healthcare students have unique challenges and resource requirements during a pandemic.

Pausing the Pandemic: Understanding and Managing Traveler and Community Spread of COVID-19 in Hawaii.

In the absence of a vaccine, nonpharmaceutical interventions such as social distancing and travel reductions were the only strategies for slowing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using survey data from Hawaii (n = 22,200) collected in March through May of 2020 at the onset of the pandemic, the differences between traveler spreaders who brought the disease into the state and community spreaders were investigated. In addition to describing the demographic attributes and comparing them with attributes of those who were vulnerable to COVID-19, logit models explaining travel behaviors were developed and tested. Traveler spreaders were likely to be male, younger, and returning students. Community spreaders were more likely to be male, essential workers, first responders, and medical personnel at the highest risk of exposure. Using spatial statistics, clusters and hotspot locations of high-risk individuals were mapped. As transportation researchers are in a position to combine their critical analytical capabilities and experience with relevant databases on mobility and the spread of infectious diseases, this analysis could support efforts to respond to and slow the spread of the pandemic.

Ten Takeaways from the COVID-19 Pandemic for Transportation Planners.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges but also unprecedented opportunities for transportation researchers and practitioners. In this article, the major lessons and gaps in knowledge for those working in the transportation sector are identified, including the following: (1) integration between public health and transportation; (2) technology to support contact tracing and tracking of travelers; (3) focus on vulnerable, at-risk operators, patrons, and underserved members of society; (4) re-engineering of travel demand models to support social distancing, quarantine, and public health interventions; (5) challenges with Big Data and information technologies; (6) trust relationships between the general public, government, private sector, and others in disaster management; (7) conflict management during disasters; (8) complexities of transdisciplinary knowledge and engagement; (9) demands for training and education; and (10) transformative change to support community resilience. With a focus on transportation planning and community resilience, the lessons from the pandemic need to be shared and customized for different systems, services, modalities, and users. While many of the interventions during the pandemic have been based on public health, the management, response, recovery, adaptation, and transformation of transportation systems resulting from the crisis require multi-disciplinary, multi-jurisdictional communications and coordination, and resource sharing. Further research to support knowledge to action is needed.

Use of the HESPER Web to Assess Perceived Needs Immediately After Multiple Disaster Events in Fiji.

OBJECTIVE: In January 2022, Fiji was hit by multiple natural disasters, including a cyclone causing flooding, an underwater volcanic eruption, and a tsunami. This study aimed to investigate perceived needs among the disaster-affected people in Fiji and to evaluate the feasibility of the Humanitarian Emergency Settings Perceived Needs Scale (HESPER Web) during the early stage after multiple natural disasters. METHODS: A cross-sectional study using a self-selected, non-representative study sample was conducted. The HESPER Web was used to collect data. RESULTS: In all, 242 people participated. The number of perceived serious needs ranged between 2 and 14 (out of a possible 26), with a mean of 6 (SD = 3). The top 3 most reported needs were access to toilets (60%), care for people in the community who are on their own (55%), and distress (51%). Volunteers reported fewer needs than the general public. CONCLUSIONS: The top 3 needs reported were related to water and sanitation and psychosocial needs. Such needs should not be underestimated in the emergency phase after natural disasters and may require more attention from responding actors. The HESPER Web was considered a usable tool for needs assessment in a sudden onset disaster.

Kidney health for all: preparedness for the unexpected in supporting the vulnerable.

As the rate of natural disasters and other devastating events caused by human activities increases, the burden on the health and well-being of those affected by kidney disease has been immeasurable. Health system preparedness, which involves creating a resilient system that is able to deal with the health needs of the entire community during times of unexpected disruptions to usual care, has become globally important. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a heightened awareness of the amplification of negative effects on the renal community. Paradoxically, the complex medical needs of those who have kidney diseases are not met by systems handling crises, often compounded by an acute increase in burden via new patients as a result of the crisis itself. Disruptions in kidney care as a result of unexpected events are becoming more prevalent and likely to increase in the years to come. It is therefore only appropriate that the theme for this year's World Kidney Day will focus on Kidney Health for All: preparedness for the unexpected in supporting the vulnerable.

The role of social capital in immigrants' pandemic preparedness and response

Previous research has described ways in which immigrants living in the United States (US) may be disproportionately impacted during public health disasters caused by various agents. The primary reasons identified for these disproportionate impacts have included inadequate risk communication relative to the disaster, and immigrants' innate distrust of government and governmental agencies.Specifically related to pandemics and other infectious disease threats, pre- existing health and socio-economic disparities have been identified as factors that make it difficult for immigrant groups to access resources needed for their full participation in pandemic preparedness and response.However, despite the increasing attention given to these problems, currently published research may not represent the full picture of the immigrant experience in disasters. For example, current literature places relatively little emphasis on identifying and describing potential protective factors and resources that may be useful in safeguarding the health of members of immigrant communities during pandemics. In addition to this, little is known about the willingness of immigrants to take preventive measures or to participate in preparedness and response activities before, during, and after pandemics or more limited outbreaks of infectious diseases.This study sought to address this gap by examining what social capital resources are present in immigrant organizations and groups, and how these resources have been deployed in response to contemporary epidemics and pandemics. The study also investigated how individual immigrants in the US experienced the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020. This was accomplished between February and May 2020 through a multi-method sequential study design. This comprised key informant interviews of immigrant-serving faith-based organizations in the US, and online focus groups involving immigrants living in the US.Our findings indicate the existence of rich and multi-dimensional social capital resources within immigrant-serving organizations. These resources have been deployed repeatedly to respond to infectious disease crises, most notably during the 2014-16 Ebola epidemic and the current COVID-19 pandemic.Regarding experiences in the COVID-19 pandemic, we found that immigrants shared in several of the collective impacts of the pandemic that affected Americans of varying backgrounds. However, there were aspects of the pandemic experience that appeared to have been accentuated amongst those who experienced the pandemic as immigrants living in the US.On the one hand, some of these factors were protective. Previous adverse life experiences had created in these respondents a unique worldview and a resilient mindset that were useful in facing the COVID-19 hardships. A deep appreciation of the opportunities afforded them in the US and a keen awareness of the difficulties their associates in their home countries were facing during COVID-19 also made the challenges brought on by the pandemic easier for these immigrants to endure. Pre-existing cultural values and norms created in many immigrants a sense of obligation and community-centeredness that moved them to engage in robust response activities. These were targeted at addressing the pandemic situation and providing relief both in the US and in their countries of origin.However, there were also drawbacks inherent in the strong social connections in immigrant communities. Immigrants found themselves bearing significant emotional and financial burdens for dependent parents, as well as for extended family and friends in their home countries. Furthermore, the close-knit communal living situations that are common among immigrants even here in the US made social distancing in the home very difficult to accomplish when a household member was diagnosed with COVID-19 and was... (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

ICU capacity expansion under uncertainty in the early stages of a pandemic

We propose a general modular approach to support decision-makers' response in the early stages of a pandemic with resource expansion, motivated by the shortage of Covid-19-related intensive care units (ICU) capacity in 2020 in Italy. Our approach uses (1) a stochastic extension of an epidemic model for scenarios of projected infections, (2) a capacity load model to translate infections into scenarios of demand for the resources of interest, and (3) an optimization model to allocate this demand to the projected levels of resources based on different values of investment. We demonstrate this approach with the onset of the first and second Covid-19 waves in three Italian regions, using the data available at that time. For epidemic modeling, we used a parsimonious stochastic susceptible-infected-removed model with a robust estimation procedure based on bootstrap resampling, suitable for a noisy and data-limited environment. For capacity loading, we used a Cox queuing model to translate the projected infections into demand for ICU, using stochastic intensity to capture the variability of the patient arrival process. Finally, we used stochastic dynamic optimization to select the best policy (when and how much to expand) to minimize the expected number of patients denied ICU for any level of investment in capacity expansion and obtain an efficient frontier. The frontier allows a trade-off between investment in additional resources and the number of patients denied intensive care. Moreover, in the panic-driven early days of a pandemic, decision-makers can also obtain the time until which they can postpone action, potentially reducing investment costs without increasing the expected number of denied patients. © 2023 The Authors. Production and Operations Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Production and Operations Management Society.

Fatal drug use in the COVID-19 pandemic response: Changing trends in drug-involved deaths before and after stay-at-home orders in Louisiana.

The effect of disaster events on increasing drug-involved deaths has been clearly shown in previous literature. As the COVID-19 pandemic led to stay-at-home orders throughout the United States, there was a simultaneous spike in drug-involved deaths around the country. The landscape of a preexisting epidemic of drug-involved deaths in the United States is one which is not geographically homogenous. Given this unequal distribution of mortality, state-specific analysis of changing trends in drug use and drug-involved deaths is vital to inform both care for people who use drugs and local policy. An analysis of public health surveillance data from the state of Louisiana, both before and after the initial stay-at-home order of the COVID-19 pandemic, was used to determine the effect the pandemic may have had on the drug-involved deaths within this state. Using the linear regression analysis of total drug-involved deaths, as well as drug-specific subgroups, trends were measured based on quarterly (Qly) deaths. With the initial stay-at-home order as the change point, trends measured through quarter 1 (Q1) of 2020 were compared to trends measured from quarter 2 (Q2) of 2020 through quarter 3 (Q3) of 2021. The significantly increased rate of change in Qly drug-involved deaths, synthetic opioid-involved deaths, stimulant-involved deaths, and psychostimulant-involved deaths indicates a long-term change following the initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in the delivery of mental health services, harm reduction services, medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), treatment services, withdrawal management services, addiction counseling, shelters, housing, and food supplies further limited drug-involved prevention support, all of which were exacerbated by the new stress of living in a pandemic and economic uncertainty.

Distribution, Preparedness and Management of Ukrainian Adult Refugees on Dialysis- an International Survey by the Renal Disaster Relief Task Force of the European Renal Association

Introduction: During armed conflicts dialysis patients may experience limitations or interruptions of therapy leading to severe life-threatening complications due to medical and logistical challenges. Before the Russian-Ukrainian war, there were approximately 10,000 adults requiring dialysis in Ukraine. Some patients decided to flee their place of residence and look for opportunities to continue dialysis in another location in Ukraine or abroad. To better understand the needs of conflict-affected kidney failure patients and to provide data which could support equitable and evidence-based prioritization of resources, the Renal Disaster Relief Task Force of the European Renal Association conducted a survey on distribution, preparedness and management of adults requiring dialysis displaced due to the war in Ukraine. Method(s): Cross-sectional online survey was conducted to assess the status of dialysis patients who were displaced across European countries since the beginning of the conflict in February 2022. The survey was sent to all national nephrology societies across Europe with a request to disseminate it to all dialysis centers in their countries. Data were collected between May and August 2022. Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) shared a limited set of aggregated data without direct center participation. Result(s): We received data on 602 patients (290 collected through the survey and 312 from FMC), who were dialyzed in 24 countries. Most patients were dialyzed in Poland (45.0%), followed by Slovakia (18.1%), Czech Republic (7.8%), Romania (6.3%), Germany (4.7%) and Hungary (3.5%). Most patients were originally dialyzed in Kyiv (north-central), Kharkiv (northeast), Odesa (southwest) and Zaporizhzhia (southeast). Before reaching the current reporting center, 34.6% of patients were treated in at least one other center since leaving their regular unit. Mean age was 48.1+/-13.4 years, 43.5% were females. Before patients left Ukraine, 95.7% had been on hemodialysis (HD), 2.5% on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (PD) and 1.8% on automated PD. HD session frequency was reduced under war conditions in 23.5% of patients. Eighty-eight percent of HD patients had a patent arteriovenous fistula, 7.3% were HBs antigen positive, 16.1% had anti-HCV antibodies, 0.6% anti-HIV antibodies and 27.3% anti-HBc antibodies. In terms of patient preparedness for displacement, 63.9% carried medical records with them, 63.3% had a list of medications, 60.4% had medications themselves and 44.0% had a dialysis prescription. Overall, 26.1% of patients were admitted to the dialysis unit in the possession of all these factors while 16.1% presented with none. After leaving Ukraine, 33.9% of patients were hospitalized. Of the 88.5% of patients tested in the reporting center for COVID-19 1.9% was positive. Communication and language problems were reported by 43.8% of responding physicians. Conclusion(s): Up to the end of August 2022, less than 10% of Ukrainian dialysis patients decided to flee their country since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the majority of them chose as their place for dialysis a country neighboring Ukraine. Preparedness for displacement varied and was incomplete in most patients. Results from our survey may inform evidence-based policies and interventions to prepare for and respond to special needs of vulnerable kidney failure populations during armed conflicts and other emergencies. No conflict of interestCopyright © 2023

A comparative case study of multistakeholder responses following oil spills in Pointe d'Esny, Mauritius, and Huntington Beach, California

Oil spills generate negative ecological, societal, economic, and public health impacts, and require rapid response to contain and mitigate damages. Prompt and effective emergency management of acute events like oil spills is highly dependent on the social, institutional, and ecological context. In August 2020, the wreckage of the MV Wakashio spilled 1000 tonnes of fuel oil along an ecologically sensitive coastline in Pointe d'Esny, Mauritius. In October 2021, an offshore pipeline split and released 78 tonnes of crude oil off the coast of Huntington Beach in California. We compare responses among three sets of stakeholders (government, non-governmental organizations, and local residents) during the first 10 days of both oil spills, which also occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Mauritius, unfavorable weather conditions and COVID-19-related border closures that delayed international support impeded government action, creating a leadership and trust vacuum among residents regarding the immediate cleanup response. This perceived gap was subsequently complemented by NGOs coordinating improvised artisanal boom production and local volunteer cleanup efforts, with limited protection or public health training. By contrast, prompt state and local government intervention in Huntington Beach created a clear chain of command with NGOs and residents deferring to official guidance. In both cases, the oil spills created new policy opportunities to improve emergency management plans and reduce future risks. Our results demonstrate the influence of prior local expertise in managing earlier disasters and resources on governmental and organizational capacity. Incorporating and ensuring on-the-ground disaster expertise in response activities improves government-led crisis response, subsequently protecting ecosystems and residents. Effective multi-level crisis response helps address a range of environmental and social justice concerns related to negative impacts of spills on local communities. Our study discusses how learnings from disaster management can reinforce social-ecological resilience in coastal communities dealing with increasing anthropogenic stressors. © 2023 by the author(s).

Social vulnerability and trust in government disaster response: The case of a potential flood event in a metropolitan area

Social vulnerabilities are the attributes that a population may have that contribute to creating susceptibility to negative disasters impacts. They are social constructs determined by factors relating to social capital;due to them, stated by Socio-Political Ecology Theory, some will have an easier time competing for limited public disaster response resources. However, individual perceptions regarding personal abilities to compete against those in other social groups is a previously little explored phenomenon. This research helps fill this gap, utilizing findings to expand upon a conceptual framework for understanding individual perceptions of personal abilities to compete for limited public disaster response resources. The framework was developed utilizing emergency management, public administration, and public policy literature. It was then tested using qualitative content analysis of forty individual interviews conducted with diverse Omaha area residents. Utilizing demographic data, participants were sorted into four Social Vulnerability Score groupings for data comparison, utilizing the unique Social Vulnerability Scoring Rubric. Key findings from this study include social vulnerability levels having direct impacts on trust in government disaster response and perceived access to resources. In sum, the less vulnerable groups were more trusting of government disaster response and more confident in their abilities to gain access. More vulnerable participants perceived their own abilities to gain access to public disaster response resources to be lesser. Finally, another phenomenon also emerged regarding the Covid-19 pandemic;participants were in direct conflict over two pandemic response resources: freedom and personal health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Robots or humans for disaster response? Impact on consumer prosociality and possible explanations

Hurricanes, wildfires, pandemics, and other disasters have taken millions of lives in the past few years and caused substantial economic losses. To tackle these extraordinary circumstances, governments, organizations, and companies seek assistance from both humans and high-technology machines such as robots. This research report documents how highlighting robots' (vs. humans') helping behaviors in disaster response can affect consumers' prosociality, explores driving mechanisms, and tests solutions. Study 1 found that consumers donated fewer items of clothing after watching news highlighting robots' (vs. humans') assistance in a mudslide disaster. Featuring the COVID-19 pandemic, Study 2 further showed that this decrease in prosociality occurred because reading about robots' assistance felt less encouraging/inspiring to consumers. Studies 3A-3C (and a supplemental study) explored multiple mechanisms and identified a key driver for the backfire effect-a lower perception of courage in disaster response robots. Accordingly, Study 4 tested three theory-driven solutions to raise the perceived courage in robots to increase consumer prosociality. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Interdisciplinary Bridging Response Teams in the COVID-19 outbreak aid provision in China

This essay provides a brief introduction of a social-worker-led interdisciplinary work model and its operating process which is inspired by the well-known Holistic Model of Spirituality. The Interdisciplinary Bridging Response Team(IBRTs) model was applied to communities, centralized isolation sites, and shelter hospitals in Wuhan. A survey of 316 clients after 53 days of service revealed that the mental and physical health of most clients improved. Moreover, compared to the early days of the pandemic, most clients' social relationships were strengthened. Nevertheless, the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-BREF scores show that this service was more effective for uninfected rather than infected people. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Abstract (French) Cet essai fournit une breve introduction d'un modele de travail interdisciplinaire dirige par un travailleur social et de son processus de fonctionnement qui s'inspire du celebre modele holistique de spiritualite. Le modele d'equipes interdisciplinaires d'intervention de transition (IBRT) a ete applique aux communautes, aux sites d'isolement centralises et aux hopitaux-abris a Wuhan. Un sondage aupres de 316 client.e.s apres 53 jours de service a revele que la sante mentale et physique de la plupart des client.e.s s'est amelioree. De plus, par rapport aux premiers jours de la pandemie, les relations sociales de la plupart des client.e.s se sont renforcees. Neanmoins, les scores WHOQOL-BREF montrent que ce service etait plus efficace pour les personnes non infectees que pour les personnes infectees. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Abstract (Spanish) Este ensayo proporciona una breve introduccion de un modelo de trabajo interdisciplinario dirigido por trabajadores sociales y su proceso operativo, inspirado en el conocido Modelo Holistico de Espiritualidad. El modelo de equipos de respuesta puente interdisciplinarios (EIRP) se aplico a comunidades, sitios de aislamiento centralizados y hospitales refugio en Wuhan. Una encuesta de 316 clientes despues de 53 dias de servicio revelo que la salud fisica y mental de la mayoria de los clientes mejoro. Ademas, en comparacion con los primeros dias de la pandemia, se fortalecieron las relaciones sociales de la mayoria de los clientes. No obstante, las puntuaciones del WHOQOL- BREF muestran que este servicio fue mas eficaz para las personas no infectadas que para las infectadas. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Addressing Pediatric Mental Health During COVID-19 and Other Disasters: A National Tabletop Exercise.

OBJECTIVE: In the wake of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, rapid identification of pediatric mental health risk is extremely important. The Western Regional Alliance for Pediatric Emergency Management held an integrated, interdisciplinary national tabletop exercise to familiarize mental health and non-mental health professionals with Psychological Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (PsySTART), an evidence-based triage and incident management system used to evaluate new mental health risk impacts following exposure to traumatic events, such as coronavirus disease (COVID-19). METHODS: Participants Participants were exposed to 3 practice cases that reflected a combination of "all hazards" scenarios and were asked to triage each case using PsySTART. Participants were asked to interpret results at both an individual site and aggregate county and/or state level. RESULTS: The exercise had a total of 115 participants with a total of 156 discrete triage encounters. A user-defined operating picture was created with graphs of aggregate mental health risk data, generating cross-regional, real-time situational awareness. After the exercise, a vast majority of the participants reported confidence in their ability to use PsySTART in their practices. CONCLUSIONS: Participants are now better equipped with tools to perform mental health triage for early intervention during COVID-19 and other disasters and understand risk on a population level.

Critical Medical Resource Allocation during COVID-19 Pandemic

In this paper, an optimal resource allocation framework is proposed for the allocation of critical medical resources among different units during a pandemic. The framework is developed by considering the dynamics of Pandemic, hierarchical government structure, and non-uniformity of unit resource requirement among different units. The cost function is designed to minimize the difference between the demand, actual allocation, and ideal allo cation, where ideal allocation for a region is considered based on the predicted active cases in a fraction of predicted total active cases of all regions. Different cost functions are used at a different level of organization based on the available information. The model can also accommodate severity of disaster in a region in this framework. A sample allocation case study is presented for the allocation of oxygen for different states of India. © 2023 DMICS.