Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
After the Storm: Lessons Learned on Worker Health & Safety during Storm Disaster Cleanup
Year Developed: 2016
Resource Type: Publication.Primary Audience: Administrative Staff Board of Directors C-Suite (CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, COOs, CMOs, etc) Enabling Staff Outreach Staff
Language(s): English
Developed by: Migrant Clinicians Network (See other resources developed by this organization).
Resource Summary: Recent events have highlighted the importance of planning and preparing for the continuity of health care services in the event of emergency or disaster. Following disaster, a thorough emergency response allows health centers to shifts gears to address the longer-term health consequences of disaster. Providing health care services to underserved populations, like agricultural workers, poses a host of challenges to service providers under the best of circumstances, including isolated rural work and home locations, group housing, substandard housing, mobility, limited English proficiency, cultural factors, transportation, documentation status, and poverty. The significance of these factors is undoubtedly magnified under emergency circumstances.
Resource Details: Clinicians can serve an important role in helping patients to avoid disruption of their health care needs in an emergency by discussing safety and other prevention measures with them. Protocols which focus on the ability to prioritize needs and to be able to function with limited human and material resources must be developed, and adequate time for training and drills must be allocated. This resource offers critical issues for clinicians to consider in planning for the care of migrant populations in an emergency.
Resource Topic: Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), Emerging Issues, Special and Vulnerable Populations, Operations
Resource Subtopic: Emergency Management, Community, Health, and Housing Partnerships, Population Health.
Keywords: Migratory and Seasonal Agricultural Workers (MSAW), Agricultural Workers.This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $6,625,000 with 0 percentage financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.