Health and Governmental Policies Impacting Disaster Recovery Plan nurs 4060

Health and Governmental Policies Impacting Disaster Recovery Plan

A disaster recovery plan collaborates with the government and other organizations to effectively provide resources to affected people. That is why governmental and health policies deeply impact managing during and post-disaster services. Government policies such as Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) allow healthcare providers to equally distribute resources among affected people and cater to community-specific needs (O’Sullivan et al., 2020). It is important to align the disaster recovery plan with health policies prioritizing the needs of vulnerable populations because health disparities can increase if this is not the case (Savoia et al., 2021). Moreover, government policies enable people from the community to volunteer in recovery plans (Quinn et al., 2020).

Evidence-based Strategies

It is crucial to address communication barriers for the affected community to allow them access to important resources of the disaster recovery plan. One evidence-based strategy is to provide multiple language communication systems and multiple formats of disaster alerts to reach the whole community. Towns like Smallville have people from diverse backgrounds and languages. They need someone to help them understand the language they don’t speak in times of crisis. Thus appointing communication leaders who can understand local cultures and languages is important. Research by Sullivan & Galea (2019) shows that doing so also increases people’s trust and compliance during devastating times. Furthermore, utilizing social media platforms is also an effective strategy to provide updates to all residents (Quinn et al., 2020). This strategy can also help overcome language barriers as mobile phones provide information in multiple languages.

Interprofessional Collaboration to Improve Disaster Recovery Efforts

Interprofessional collaboration increases the chances for a disaster recovery plan to succeed because when different professionals meet to cater to the needs of people experiencing disaster, recovery comes faster. A team of professionals such as doctors, nurses, social workers, mental health professionals, and emergency responders enhances the recovery efforts by working as a team (Shaw et al., 2020). Furthermore, such a holistic team can make better-informed decisions to provide immediate relief to those in need. These strategies address communication barriers to increase disaster recovery reach and allow a community to stand on its feet again. Addressing cultural and social needs in such disaster situations is important to help affected people develop trust and better resilience. 

Conclusion

This disaster recovery plan is rooted in social and culturally sensitive principles to address the needs of people affected by the Smallville fire. This plan highlights the importance of interprofessional collaboration and effective communication strategies. Moreover, this plan focuses on building resilience and the well-being of the community.

References

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2020). CDC’s response to the 2020 wildfires. https://www.cdc.gov. 

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Healthy People 2020. (2022). Social determinants of health.