Instructor: Mary Spalding, MA, MLIS, Western Maryland Area Health Education Center (AHEC)

1. Locating Reliable Disaster Health Resources on the InternetMarch 15, 2013Garrett County Health Department Instructor: Mary Spalding, MA, MLIS, Western Maryland Area Health Education Center (AHEC) This program is sponsored in whole or in part by the National Library of Medicine.

2. "Safe Seniors: Appalachian Disaster and Emergency Health Information Outreach" Western Maryland Area Health Education Center Learning Resource Center in partnership with: Allegany College of Maryland Health Continuing Education DepartmentAllegany County Health DepartmentEmergency Preparedness Caucus, WMAHECFrostburg State University Pre-Medical SocietyGarrett County Health DepartmentMeritus Health Medical Library and Education DepartmentSocial Work Caucus - Allegany/Garrett Counties, WMAHECSocial Work Caucus - Washington County, WMAHECWashington County Health DepartmentWestern Maryland Health System Parish Nurse and Health Minister Program The goal of Safe Seniors: Appalachian Disaster and Emergency Health Information Outreach is to improve disaster medicine and public health information access for health professionals, first responders and others (paid or volunteer) who play a role in health-related disaster preparedness, response, and recovery in three rural Appalachian counties in Maryland, with a focus on the elderly population. 

3. Learning Objectives Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to: • Identify reliable Internet-based local and national disaster health resources for health professionals, with a focus on community preparedness. • Describe disaster preparedness for public health and other community disaster health planners and responders. • Identify appropriate disaster health resources for seniors and the disabled, particularly those living in a rural area.

4. Instructor Mary Spalding, MA, MLIS Western Maryland AHEC Program Coordinator and Medical Librarian • Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science from University of South Carolina; Master’s Degree in English from West Virginia University with additional PhD course work; • Medical Librarian for WMAHEC since 1999; • Under contract with WMAHEC, serve as medical librarian with oversight of library budget, resources, and services for Meritus Health in Hagerstown, Maryland; • Serve as medical library consultant for Western Maryland Health System and Somerset Hospital; • Writer, coordinator, and/or project investigator for numerous federal grants and contracts involving health care and library services, including the National Library of Medicine, National Network of Libraries of Medicine, U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, Appalachian Regional Commission. She wrote and served as project investigator of a 1999 National Leadership Grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum & Library Services(IMLS) that provided training in emerging library technologies for rural librarians in three states; she also served as National Leadership Grant reviewer for IMLS the following year.

5. Housekeeping …. • Please! • Be sure to complete the WMAHEC Participant Information Form and course pre-test and turn it in to the instructor at the beginning of class. • Sign in on WMAHEC’s sign-in sheet. • Complete a course evaluation and post-test found in your packet and turn it in before the instructor leaves. • THANK YOU! These materials help WMAHEC justify our existence!

6. http://www.disasterhero.com/play http://www.disasterhero.com/play

7. Okay, back to mundane reality … But, of course, “mundane reality” does not exist; we live today under the constant threat of community emergencies and disasters. Actually, we always have. Think Pompeii, the Black Death, endless wars, famines, floods, plagues of locusts . . . Unlike in those times, however, we now have tools and resources to identify, prepare for, manage, and recover from disasters. NOW the problem is how to narrow down the vast number of those resources to find those most helpful for our own communities!

8. How will I ever get that report to my boss on seniors in disasters? Just Google it, Stupid!

9. Where did you get the data for this report, Milquetoast? Wh-wh-why, Sir? Isn’t the Keystone Cops Seniors Evacuation Plan a reliable source?

10. Don’t let this happen to you!More important--don’t let your community members down in what could be their darkest hours. • So, how do you protect yourself and those you are concerned about when seeking information and resources for disaster preparedness? • Of course, always conduct thorough, thoughtful research using Web-based and print literature, and • Know good evaluation methods for information and resources and apply them yourself, OR…. • Let medical librarians do the work for you!

12. If you must have best/promising practices and/or peer-reviewed literature, will a Google search suffice? Not to worry! National Library of Medicine’s Disaster Information Management Research Center has located those resources, evaluated them for quality and reliability, and organized those selected for easy retrieval by health professionals, public health officials, first responders, and others with a role in disaster preparation and management. URL: http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc.html

13. National Library of Medicine – Disaster Information Management Research Center (DIMRC) (Our Sponsor) The core purpose of the Disaster Information Management Research Center (DIMRC) is to develop and provide access to health information resources and technology for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Our intent is to connect people to quality disaster health information and foster a culture of community resiliency.

14. Why I am here today: National Library of Medicine Disaster Information Specialist Program Description of our program found here! Monthly meetings—Next one: Needs of Persons with Disabilities in Emergency and Disaster Preparedness—Anyone can join these Webcasts!

15. Selection Guidelines for Non-National Library of Medicine Resources http://disaster.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/envirohealthlinkscriteria.html Accessibility for persons with disabilities (visual or other) is a core consideration in creation of NLM sites and selected links. • Selection Guidelines • U.S. Government and non-U.S. Government sites meeting evaluation criteria, including: • Clearly stated relevant purpose; • Authority, Credibility, and Affiliation • Content, Coverage, and Currency • Point of View • Access, Navigation, and Availability • Language

16. http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc.html Disaster Types and Topics—Directory with links to Web resources evaluated by medical librarians for quality and reliability Resource Guide—Search public health, disaster medicine, and related information available on the Web Search PubMed for Peer-Reviewed Disaster Health Literature; Register as Loansome Doc user to order articles through WMAHEC

17. Each Disaster topic ends with links to PubMed/MEDLINE citations on that topic with the search already done for you! WMAHEC can provide these articles to you at little to no cost.

18. Free Disaster and Emergency Response Tools from the National Library of Medicine Chemical Hazards Emergency Medical Management (CHEMM) - Guidance on planning, response and recovery related to chemical mass casualty incidents Radiation Emergency Medical Management (REMM) - Guidance on the clinical diagnosis and treatment of mass casualty radiological/nuclear events for health care providers. Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders (WISER) - A system to help emergency responders identify hazardous materials and respond to chemical emergencies. Contains information on over 400 chemicals and radiologic agents.

19. Tutorials Available for Most Products http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/captivate/basicsearchinghsdb_skin.swf

20. WISER

21. At NLM DIMRC, find best/promising practices and evidence-based literature from national and local organizations, even …

22. Worst-case Scenarios http://www.remm.nlm.gov/NuclearDetonationPreparedness.pdf

23. National or Other Locality Resources for Issues in Garrett County Check DIMRC for regulatory/legal requirements, government services/resources, peer-reviewed literature, and best/promising practices from other localities. • Issues identified in a recent Garrett County Ad Hoc Committee on Emergency Planning for Vulnerable Elderly: • The governor is requesting a registry of vulnerable adults—how do we implement this? • Seniors are reluctant or unwilling to evacuate without their pets and animals.

24. The governor is requesting a registry of vulnerable adults—how do we implement this? Promising Practices for Evacuating People with Disabilities, 2011 – Author: Dr. Frances Norwood, Director of Research, Inclusion Research Institute • Qualitative study with targeted telephone interviews with disability service providers and emergency managers who have developed promising practices in evacuating persons with disabilities • Unfortunately, those with registries cited numerous problems: • Registries create expectations that public officials WILL show up in a disaster; this may or may not be true; • Privacy issues, particularly with mandated registries; • Unintended discrimination issues; • Problems with self-identifying as disabled—can sometimes be situation-dependent; • Many persons with disabilities or other special needs do not register with voluntary registries; • Registry management issues, including cost. http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/research/centers-institutes/institute-on-development-and-disability/public-health-programs/upload/Promising-Practices-final-1-21-2011.pdf

25. Evacuating Persons with Disabilities – How do we know they have special needs without a registry? • Promising Practices Identified in Study: • Work through existing disabilities network to reach individuals with disabilities; • Disability providers should make mutual evacuation arrangements with similar providers in neighboring communities; • Neighbor-to-neighbor programs may be a way to promote preparedness in the disabilities community. Norwood, Frances. 2001. Promising Practices for Evacuating People with Disabilities http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/research/centers-institutes/institute-on-development-and-disability/public-health-programs/upload/Promising-Practices-final-1-21-2011.pdf

26. Seniors are reluctant or unwilling to evacuate without their pets and animals. • “Traditional concerns involving animals during disasters include the following: • The spoilage of the human food and water supply; • Animal bites; and • Outbreaks of zoonoses (diseases transmitted between animals and people) such as rabies.” • “Other problems include the significant impact on public mental health due to the emotions owners feel for their animals. These issues are particularly evident in seniors and children.” “The new paradigm is that animals cannot be viewed simply as inanimate property.” Animals in Disaster, Module B Community Planning, FEMA http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/IS11lst.asp

27. http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/animals.html

28. http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/IS11lst.asp

29. Links to sites with useful resources, such as RedRover, which provides downloadable forms for agency use to assist with animals in disasters http://www.redrover.org/community-animal-emergency-planning-resources

30. Searchable Resource Guide (Found on Home Page)— This search returned resources for rural preparedness.

31. Disaster-Related Topics • Animals in Disasters • Disaster Apps and Mobile Optimized Web Pages • Community Preparedness • Coping with Disasters, Violence, and Traumatic Stress • Disaster Recovery • Ethics in Disaster Medicine and Public Health • Personal Preparedness • Mass Gatherings • Special Populations • Disaster-Related Competencies for Healthcare Providers • Sources of Emergency and Disaster Information from the U.S. Government

32. State and Local Resources

33. Search for state agencies and organizations (or for organizations devoted to a particular purpose) on DIMRC home page

34. Maryland Office of Preparedness and Response (DHMH) http://preparedness.dhmh.maryland.gov/SitePages/Home.aspx

35. MEMA • DO screen shot http://mema.maryland.gov/Pages/default.aspx

36. Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Seminar • April 5 & 6, 2013: The 11thMiltenberger Emergency Services Seminar – The Wisp • May 1-5, 2013: EMS Care: Riding the Wave – Ocean City • http://www.miemss.org/home/

37. State of Maryland Resources • DHMH Maryland Responds--Medical Reserve Corps)(MRC): The MD Responds team consists of health care professionals and community members ready to assist with disaster and emergency response and recovery during a declared emergency. MD Responds coordinates the recruitment, training, activation, and retention of practicing and retired physicians, nurses, other health professionals, as well as citizens who are eager to address their community's ongoing public health needs and to help during large-scale emergencies.  http://mdr.dhmh.maryland.gov/SitePages/Home.aspx

38. Local Resources - GCHD • Garrett County Health Department Emergency Preparedness - http://www.garretthealth.org/preparedness/index.htm • Phone number to call in emergencies/disasters on E-Prep home page • Bioterrorism page—In addition to bio-specific information, has links to resources for the public’s disaster preparation (family and workplace disaster plans, supply kits, etc.) • Education and training—Links to DHMH, MEMA, and CDC training sites • Authentication required to access many of the resources on the site (“Important Documents”)

39. Local Resources • Western Maryland Area Health Education Center (WMAHEC) – Emergency Preparedness (E-Prep) Caucus – Contact: Terri Socha, tsocha@wmahec.org, 301-777-9150, Ext. 107 • WMAHEC Learning Resource Center – Primary Access Library of the National Library of Medicine/National Network of Libraries of Medicine – We can help you locate and access professional literature at little to no cost! – Contact: Mary Spalding, mspalding@wmahec.org, 301-777-9150, Ext. 116.

40. Thank you! … And please …. • Complete your post-test and evaluation form and return to instructor today. • Be sure you turned in your Participant Information Form—WMAHEC needs these to justify its existence! • Contact Mary Spalding with any additional resources you’d recommend, either local or national. • We will send out an updated list of resources to those requesting same on the evaluation form.