Advocacy Risk Appraisal: Emergency and Disaster Preparedness

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Consider you are developing a project that evaluates community preparedness in the event of a local disaster or public health emergency. You will need to identify partners and resources in the community. A Partner Planning Worksheet synthesizes information about how each reported partner supports public health preparedness and response.
Strong, fully engaged community (jurisdictional) partners are critical for public health preparedness. Public and private partners are often perceived as trusted sources and support preparedness by working with the health department to provide input and mitigate identified health risks for the communities they serve. Partners also help identify community roles and responsibilities and coordinate the delivery of essential health services to strengthen community resilience as early as possible before, during, and after a public health emergency. Jurisdictions can leverage partner insights to develop and disseminate information that address the needs of at-risk populations that may be disproportionately impacted by the incident or event.
Access the Unit 6 Partner Planning and Assessment Worksheet in Course Resources.
Experiences from national and state emergencies, such as hurricanes, flooding and fires, have shown that current emergency preparedness have inadequacies addressing the unique issues of special needs populations. Master’s prepared nurses should source for most relevant strategies, practices, and resources from a variety of sources, including peer-reviewed research, government reports, and the trade literature, to identify priority populations and critical strategies.
This Partner Planning Template is meant to guide you toward preparedness appraisal to protect population health and advocacy during disasters and public health emergencies for your local and/ or state community.
Partner Planning and Assessment Worksheet
Purpose: A Partner Planning and Assessment Worksheet is the preliminary planning tool for gathering information about existing and potential emergency preparedness partners. You will demonstrate the ability to appraise preparedness to protect population health and advocacy during disasters and public health emergencies by completing a partner planning and community resource assessment worksheet. You are creating an appraisal of public health support, communication sources, and a variety of services in the community in the event of a public health emergency or disaster.
Instructions:
1. Identify existing or potential public partners engaged in activities relevant to planning for access and functional needs. Many of these partners may lend their knowledge, expertise, and risk communication planning.
2. Identify organizations who can aid in the response and supply services or support for vulnerable and multicultural populations.
For both 1 and 2, include the partner type, name, and any of the following roles adding detail to the function:
a. Access and functional needs group represented
b. Preparedness phase of partner engagement (i.e., pre-incident, response, recovery)
c. Participation in jurisdictional risk assessment
d. Communication support (i.e., public information/ warning)
e. Exchange of information between partners (information sharing)
f. Participation in training
g. Participation in exercises or incidents/event

Sample Solution

We are tasked with creating a Partner Planning and Assessment Worksheet to identify and evaluate potential partners for a community preparedness project. The goal is to assess the community’s capacity to respond to a disaster or public health emergency.

Creating the Partner Planning and Assessment Worksheet

Worksheet Structure

Based on the provided guidelines, the worksheet could be structured as follows:

Partner Type Partner Name Access and Functional Needs Group Preparedness Phase Risk Assessment Communication Information Sharing Training Exercises
Public [Name] [Group] [Phase] [Yes/No] [Level] [Frequency] [Type] [Participation]
Private [Name] [Group] [Phase] [Yes/No] [Level] [Frequency] [Type] [Participation]

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Partner Identification and Assessment

To populate this worksheet, we would need to:

  1. Identify potential partners:
    • Conduct a community needs assessment to identify vulnerable populations and their specific needs.
    • Research existing community organizations and networks.
    • Consult with local government officials and emergency management agencies.
    • Utilize online resources and databases to identify potential partners.
  2. Gather information about each partner:
    • Contact potential partners to request information about their organization, mission, and involvement in emergency preparedness.
    • Review the partner’s website and social media for relevant information.
    • Conduct interviews with key personnel to gather detailed information.

Example Entries

Partner Type Partner Name Access and Functional Needs Group Preparedness Phase Risk Assessment Communication Information Sharing Training Exercises
Public Local Health Department Elderly, Disabled Pre-incident, Response, Recovery Yes High Regular Various Annual
Private Red Cross Diverse, Vulnerable Pre-incident, Response, Recovery Yes High Frequent Extensive Regular
Non-Profit Mental Health Association Mental Health Pre-incident, Response, Recovery Yes Medium Occasional Targeted Occasional

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Additional Considerations

  • Data Analysis: Once the worksheet is completed, analyze the data to identify gaps in community preparedness, identify potential collaboration opportunities, and prioritize partner engagement.
  • Partner Engagement: Develop a plan to engage with identified partners and build strong relationships.
  • Worksheet Refinement: The worksheet can be adapted to include additional relevant information as needed, such as partner capacity, resources, and geographic coverage.

By diligently completing this Partner Planning and Assessment Worksheet, we can gain a comprehensive understanding of the community’s preparedness landscape and identify key partners to collaborate with in enhancing community resilience.

 

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