The Mary Fran Myers Award Recipient, 2007

The Mary Fran Myers Award, 2007 Prema Gopalan 2007 Recipient of the Mary Fran Myers Award

As the Executive Director of Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP) for over 15 years, Prema Gopalan has supported poor rural women in building bridges with local government to facilitate democratic processes that are inclusive of women. The impact of Prema’s work is clearly demonstrated by the experience of SSP after the Marathwada earthquake of 1993. The Maharashtran government enlisted SSP to catalyze residents in 300 villages to learn, cooperate, and apply new technology and construction techniques, and their remaining government subsidies, to rapidly repair their damaged homes. When SSP’s initial appraisal found that village officials and homeowners lacked basic information and opportunities to participate in reconstruction, Prema quickly determined that the women’s savings and credit groups, although largely defunct, could be reactivated as community organizations that could inspire and engage large numbers of women to lead their community’s repair and reconstruction. Since then, the efforts of SSP in Maharashtra to engage women’s groups in reconstruction efforts have established a platform of peer learning exchanges enabling other earthquake impacted communities of women around the world to learn from these strategies. In earthquake and tsunami areas, Prema has supported women who mobilized to organize their communities to restore housing, livelihoods, community infrastructure and basic services, participate in reconstruction and create new, empowered spaces for women to continue their development activities after reconstruction was completed.

In 1999, Swayam Shikshan Prayog, with Prema Gopalan’s leadership, supported grassroots leaders from Maharashtra to share their experience with women in 8 earthquake devastated communities in the Marmara region of Turkey. In Gujarat, after the 2001 earthquake, Prema took a delegation of Maharashtran women leaders and SSP staff on a humanitarian/solidarity visit. Gujarat women were so moved by receiving a delegation of peer leaders who had survived similar situations, that they urged the women’s groups and SSP to return and come and assist them. This process was repeated, when the tsunami struck Tamil Nadu at the end of 2004. In all of these cases, Prema took care to work only in communities that invited them in, seeing the value of a women-led relief and reconstruction process. Last year, SSP partnered with more than 42,000 women organized in autonomous community groups in 889 disaster-impacted villages in three states in India.

Under Prema’s leadership, the SSP has partnered with GROOTS International, an international network of grassroots women, and served as their secretariat. In this role, she has facilitated the creation of training teams of expert grassroots community women leaders. These women-led teams are now available to support and build the capacity of women’s groups in high risk and disaster struck low-income communities across the globe. These efforts have been widely recognized as a model of good practice in the field. For these initiatives and for her sustained work with and on behalf of grassroots women, Prema is recognized as an expert in community driven, gender equitable disaster response and resilience initiatives which help transform the chaos of disasters into opportunities for women to lead and restore their communities.

For more information go to www.gdnonline.org

Prepare for Health Emergencies

Souce:  Big Medicine:

Read about the ways practitioners of Big Medicine can connect with vulnerable populations, including mothers with young children, hourly-wage workers and people with chronic illnesses such as diabetes and asthma, with resources to help them prepare for health emergencies…

Mothers with Children in the Household

Mothers are always preparing for the unexpected. Their planning skills are put to good use as they juggle daily priorities such as, getting children to school, helping with homework or spending quality time with family. While there are steps all mothers can take to prepare for a public health emergency, there are unique needs mothers with children in the household should consider.

APHA conducted a national preparedness survey of mothers with young children, Sixty-one percent reported they had done some emergency planning. Yet when asked about their current state of resources, 16% stated they had only enough food in the home for two or fewer days. Fewer than half (46%) reported enough food supply for three days to one week. Indeed, in the event of a long-term public health emergency, many families would run out of food quickly.

When asked about emergency evacuation plans, only 16% of mothers with young children had considered where they would go if they had to quickly leave their homes. Just fourteen percent of mothers stated they had established a place to meet if the family were evacuated or couldn’t return home, and only 13% had a plan for how they would move their children 50 miles or more away.

So what steps can mothers with young children take to prepare for a public health emergency? Following are several questions a mother can ask herself to help her get started:

Step 1: Have I taken an inventory of my home?

• Do I have at least a three-day supply of bottled water, non-perishable foods and essential medications set-aside for each member of my family?

Step 2: Have I taken an inventory of my community?

• Does my town or city have an emergency preparedness plan, including recommendations for evacuation routes, emergency shelters and the location of food banks?
• What are the evacuation procedures for my child’s daycare facility or school?
 

Step 3: Have I made a plan for communicating with my family if we are not together when an emergency happens?

• Have I identified a meeting place outside my home where all family members will meet if we are unable to return home?
• Have I taught my children an emergency phone number that they may call if they are unable to reach me?

Step 4: Do I have an emergency preparedness kit?

Mothers with children in the household should have two types of kits: one kit for quick evacuations and the other kit for staying in place for a long period of time.
 

Kit for quick evacuations:

This kit should be lightweight and easy to carry so you can “grab & go”
• Photo identification for yourself and your children
• Small amounts of food such as granola bars, bottled water or baby formula
• Important personal documents such as health records or child custody papers
• Small amounts of money in the form of cash or traveler’s checks
• List of important phone numbers and a cell phone or phone card
• Copies of keys to your home and car
• Medications and personal hygiene items
• Small toys or books for your children

Kit for ‘sheltering in place’:
This kit should be stored in a safe, dry place and accessed only during emergencies.
• Non-perishable food such as canned foods, cereal, protein or fruit bars and baby formula, if necessary
• Bottled water: each family member needs one gallon of water per day and should
keep at least a three-day supply on hand
• Essential medications such as insulin for diabetics or inhalers for children with asthma
• Essential supplies such as baby diapers, eye glasses and personal hygiene items
• First aid kit
• Manual can opener
• Battery-powered flashlight and radio with spare batteries
• Sealing, plastic bags for waterproofing
• Canned pet food

Local Food Banks, Community Pantries and Soup Kitchens

Food banks, community pantries and soup kitchens are an important source of nutritional foods for many low-income individuals and families. Their resources may be in even greater demand during a public health crisis if grocery stores are unable to keep shelves stocked or individuals are unable to purchase or afford food. The extent to which local food banks, community pantries and soup kitchens are prepared for emergencies may determine whether or not community residents have access to food.

APHA conducted in-depth interviews with charitable hunger-relief organizations across the nation and found that regional food distribution centers are well prepared
for a public health emergency. These centers have invested a significant amount of time and resources into preparing for disaster responsiveness and work closely with local, state and national agencies. Local food banks, which provide direct assistance to community residents, are less prepared for a public health crisis.

Very few have disaster response plans in place or are aware of local emergency response efforts.
 

So what steps can local food banks, community pantries and soup kitchens take to ensure a continued supply of food during a public health emergency? While preparedness needs will differ based on geographic area, number of people served, and available community resources, managers can assess emergency response readiness by answering the following questions:

Step 1: How safe is the building structure?

• Is the facility able to withstand extreme weather conditions?
• Is the structure sound and protected against water infiltration?
• Could we operate a secondary location if the building is damaged or totally destroyed?

Step 2:Can we still operate during an emergency?
 

• How long would supplies last if the demand for food distribution were doubled due to a disaster?
• Do our donors and suppliers have emergency response plans in place to continue food and grocery deliveries?
• Is there a generator or backup power supply to maintain refrigeration, lighting, and security?
• Is the food supply adequate to meet basic nutritional needs?

Step 3:How long can we operate during a crisis?

• What quantity of food would we need to remain operational?
• What is the minimum number of staff members necessary to remain operational?
Do we rely upon volunteers?
• How will we communicate with clients and the local community about imminent
closings or re-openings?
• How will we maintain communication with suppliers?
• Have we identified alternative suppliers in the event main suppliers are non-operational?
 

Step 4:Have I assessed staff and infrastructure needs?
• Knowing a disaster is imminent, staff needs should be considered:
- Should staff be paid early if a disaster disrupts the normal pay cycle?
- How can I ensure that staff has enough time off to prepare their own homes for
a disaster?
• Communications systems:
- Do we have at least one non-electric land telephone that will remain operational
even if power is out?
- Do we have emergency and staff contact numbers in a safe place and multiple copies stored in off-site locations?
- Have we established a “phone-tree” to ensure communication during a crisis?
• Are we on the utility company’s priority list to restore power in case of an emergency?
• Have we developed relationships and planned response efforts with local law enforcement to prevent possible looting?
• Have we developed relationships and planned response efforts with local grocery stores to increase food donations during an emergency?
• Do we have multiple copies of important records such as insurance policies stored at off-site locations?
• Do we have a small amount of petty cash in case credit and computer transactions
are not working?

Other resources:
http://www.cafoodbanks.org/disaster.htm

Hourly-Wage Workers

Preparing for a public health emergency can be particularly difficult for hourly wage
workers, especially those who earn less than $30,000 per year. These individuals are less likely to be able to provide for themselves or their families if their place of employment shuts down because of a public health emergency.

A recent preparedness poll conducted by APHA found of the 71% of employers who stated they would encourage employees to stay home during a national public health crisis, only 18% would continue to pay all employees if there were an interruption in operations for a period of two months. What’s more, 29% of hourly-wage workers responded they are currently uncertain if they would continue to be paid.

It is not surprising that low hourly-wage earners have little or no money saved for a public health emergency. Only 15% report they have any dollars set aside for such an event. In addition, few people who earn low hourly wages report any emergency resources for a disaster. For example, only 31% of these same workers report having
stocked up on non-perishable foods for a public health emergency, only 22% report having sufficient amounts of water set aside to last for three days, and more than three-quarters (77%) of low hourly-wage earners state they are unprepared for an emergency because they do not have money to spend on things they may never use.
 

So what steps can hourly-wage workers take to prepare for a public health emergency? Following are several questions an hourly-wage worker can ask him or herself to help them get started:

Step 1: Do I know whether my employer has emergency response procedures in place?
 

• Do I know how my employer will communicate with me during an emergency?
• If my workplace closed for an extended period of time, would my employer allow me to continue working at an alternate location, if possible?

Step 2:Do I have any money saved in case I am unable to work for an extended period of time?
 

• Can I save just $10 out of every paycheck for an emergency?
• Do I have a credit card with some available funds for an emergency?
 

Step 3: If I can continue working, but my normal means of transportation is unavailable, do I have another way to travel to work?
 

• Can I organize a plan to carpool with a co-worker in case public transportation
is unavailable during an emergency?

Following is an action plan hourly-wage earners can implement to prepare for an emergency:
1. Compile a list of contact numbers for your supervisor and co-workers in order to obtain information in case of an emergency.
2. If you own a car, store a few gallons of gas in a safe place to keep your car fueled for transportation in the event of a gas shortage.
3. Begin saving a small amount of money – even just $10 per paycheck. Keep it on hand as cash or travelers checks and only access it in case of an emergency.
4. Call your local department of health to find out about emergency response plans and what kinds of actions you can take in your community to prepare for a disaster.

Other resources:
Federal Emergency Management Agency, http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/

Schools Serving Children in Kindergarten through 12th Grade

Ensuring that children are safe when they are in schools is one of the most important goals for any teacher or administrator. However, the challenge of a comprehensive emergency response plan for schools are unique, given preparedness requires coordination with diverse groups such as, parents, children and law enforcement officials.

A preparedness poll conducted by APHA found that in light of recent national emergencies, including the September 11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina, 94% of school districts have emergency response plans in place, but only 50% have a plan for an infectious disease epidemic. This lack of preparedness is a grave concern, given a serious infectious disease could spread rapidly through schools and communities.

Since ninety-one percent of most school administrators rate preparing for a public health emergency as a priority, the primary obstacles for emergency preparedness among schools appear to be costs and lack of resources. Only 6% of surveyed schools report sufficient funding to make substantial investments in student health and safety, while 66% report their budgets are ‘tight’ or in ‘crisis.’

In spite of these barriers, most schools do at least have some emergency procedures in place. Of the schools surveyed, 64% report they have a communication plan for contacting students and staff family members, 59% have recent photos of students, and 84% stated they have procedures in place to evacuate students in cases of immediate threat. However, in cases where ‘sheltering in place’ may be necessary, only 18% of school administrators state they have enough drinking water to support the school population for at least three days.

So what steps can school administrators and teachers take to assess their school’s
level of preparedness? Following are a series of questions designed to assess emergency preparedness for unexpected or ongoing public health crises:

How to prepare for the first 24 hours of a public health crisis:

Step 1: Have you prepared safety drills for your school?

• Do students and faculty know the appropriate building evacuation route and have they practiced evacuating?
• Have students and faculty practiced how to “shelter in place”?

Step 2:Have emergency communication plans with local authorities been clearly established?
 

Step 3: Is your school’s emergency response plan appropriate for your geographic region?
• Is your school’s plan adaptive to different types of emergencies?

Step 4: Have parents of students been educated about emergency evacuation procedures?

• Are parents aware of how to reunite with their children if students are evacuated from school grounds?
• Have parents been taught appropriate response behaviors to prevent hysteria among the students, particularly younger children?
• Are communication systems in place to advise parents of children’s well-being in the event students need to “shelter in place”?

How to prepare for an ongoing public health crisis:
 

Step 1: Develop a plan for distance learning if schools are closed for an indefinite period of time.
• Determine how students will receive instruction materials during an indefinite school closure.
• Determine how communication between students and teachers will be established
during an indefinite school closure.
 

Step 2: Evaluate the school curriculum to identify “teachable” moments related to the ongoing crisis.
 

Step 3: Return to instruction as soon as possible, and monitor students’ emotional well-being.
 

Strategies for Emergency Response Plans:
1. Make sure all relevant stakeholders are aware of emergency response procedures.
Provide user-friendly plans in writing to students, parents, teachers and local authorities, including the police and fire departments.
2. Make emergency preparedness a living, breathing process. Hold meetings with parents and faculty to discuss procedures and appropriate responses. And practice emergency response drills with students. These actions will help the community feel empowered, rather than fearful.
3. Establish a standing committee of community leaders that continually review and revise emergency response plans.
 

Other resources:
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/school/schoolchecklist.html
http://www.healthyschools.org
http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/index.html
http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/crisisplanning.pdf

Individuals with Chronic Health Care Needs

While it is important for everyone to prepare for a public health emergency, individuals with chronic illnesses must consider how a public health crisis might affect their well-being. Chronic health conditions such as, diabetes, cancer, asthma and high blood pressure often require routine medical treatments or medication on a daily basis.
 

A preparedness poll conducted by the American Public Health Association found that while 90% of adults with chronic medical conditions take medication a few times per week, only 19% have a one-month supply on hand in case pharmacies close during a national crisis. Further, 38% stated they would run out of medication in one week or less. This is of great concern given almost 4 out of 10 of those with chronic illnesses reported it would be a ‘very serious problem’ if drug stores and pharmacies closed during a public health emergency.

Of individuals with chronic illnesses that need to visit health care facilities on a regular basis for treatments such as, kidney dialysis, 49% stated it would be a ‘very serious problem’ if doctors’ offices, hospitals and health clinics closed.

Low levels of preparedness among individuals with chronic health needs could present a real challenge if a public health disaster or emergency strikes. Forty-six percent of the adults with chronic illnesses stated they have spent only one hour or less preparing for an emergency and 82% reported they do not wear any type of medical identification to alert health care workers to their conditions.
 

So what steps should individuals with chronic illnesses take to prepare for a public health emergency? Following are a series of questions that can be answered to help create a plan that fits with their unique health care needs:

Step 1: Do you have an emergency supply of essential medications in the event you can’t get them from a pharmacy?
• How long would your emergency supply last?
• How often do you refresh your supply to avoid expiration?
• If it is not possible to keep an emergency supply, have you talked to your doctor or pharmacist about what you can do to prepare?

Step 2:Have you identified a back-up treatment facilit y in the event your normal place of care is closed?
• Have you asked your health care provider where you could go if you could not access your regular care?
• Do you have recent copies of your health care records, including a current list of medications and treatment information?
• Do you wear a medical identification bracelet or necklace to alert health care workers about your health condition?

Step 3: If you are unable to transport yourself out of your home, have you devised an evacuation plan based on your unique needs?
• Have you provided your local fire department with your home address and informed them that you would need assistance during an evacuation?
• Are your neighbors aware that you would need assistance in the event of an emergency evacuation?

Individuals living with chronic illnesses can prepare an emergency kit to meet their unique preparedness needs. Below is a list of suggested contents:

Emergency Kit Contents:
Try to keep the kit as lightweight as possible in case you need to “grab & go.”
• At least a one-month supply of medication
• Medical supplies such as, glucose tests or a blood pressure cuff to monitor your condition
• Copies of insurance cards and personal identification
• Copies of recent medical records
• Thermometer
• Surgical mask
• Self-care manual for your specific condition, such as how to handle chemotherapy side effects during a disaster2
• Self-care products such as, hand warmers for individuals with arthritis

Other resources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/chronic.asp

Continuity Cares in New Orleans

Imagine living in a city, a large city where miles and miles of houses are abandoned, gutted and charred.  Where firehouses are barren, moldy and entire departments operate with so few men, their lives are at even greater risk for the job they do every time they respond to a call.  Where crime is widespread and where the local economy has collapsed.  Imagine this is an American city.  One where a generation will be lost if action isn’t taken.   

I don’t have to imagine.  Neither do the people of New Orleans.  Just last week I traveled to New Orleans for my regularly scheduled annual trip.  In addition to speaking at the Continuity Insights conference and spending time with our BCPWHO members, I had the privilege of participating in the Continuity Cares Initiative.  In cooperation with BNP Paribas North America, the Sheraton New Orleans, and various
New Orleans civic leaders, Continuity Cares was an opportunity to get personally involved in much needed construction projects.  This is not the only work this group has done and the work will continue and expand.  This is just the beginning of the series of entries on my blog about this issue as it is a complete outrage that families and their livelihoods have been destroyed and that they continue to be abandoned by their government and their fellow Americans.   

Now don’t misunderstand me.  I don’t believe the people of New Orleans need your pity, sympathy or charity.  They need your sponsorship.  This is a call to action to every person reading this.  And understand this is not just for the people ofNew Orleans.  We must look at what can be done in disaster affected areas and focus on grassroots initiatives designed to create sustainable communities.  Let each and every one of us be part of creating a world of empowerment, not dependence.  Be a part of hope and unity.  That’s how communities are built.  That is how we change the world.