News and Articles

Working with Individuals with Blindness or Visual Impairment in Emergencies

Alice Frame, MA - Program Coordinator, Disability Health Unit - MDHHS

Emergency responders must be prepared to meet the needs of everyone during a disaster – including people with disabilities. Some of these individuals may have unique needs and different methods of navigation and interaction than what emergency personnel are accustomed to.  For example, an estimated 1.3 million American adults are legally blind, and 14 million Americans 12 years and older have some level of self-reported visual impairment.  

Working with Individuals with Blindness or Visual Impairment in Emergencies>>

Training & Events

Aftermath of Disaster: Addressing Trauma with Mental Health First Aid

Archived Webcast

This 59-minute webinar discusses how providers can utilize mental health first aid to help those traumatized by a disaster find resiliency and the ability to start rebuilding their lives. It discusses what makes disaster trauma unique from other traumatic experiences, and how disaster trauma impacts those who already struggle with homelessness, poverty, and other social or medical issues.

Aftermath of Disaster: Addressing Trauma with Mental Health First Aid>>

The Michigan Update

Ottawa County Health Department Obtains Project Public Heath Ready Recognition with the Jean Chabut Health Policy Champion Award

Kerry Chamberlain, PhD, MPH - Bureau of EMS, Trauma and Preparedness - MDHHS

Ottawa County Health Department recently obtained the Project Public Heath Ready (PPHR) designation from the National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO).  In recognition of their achievement, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services bestowed the Jean Chabut Health Policy champion award during the 2018 Public Health Week celebration.  The Jean Chabut Health Policy Champion award is given for contributions to protecting and improving the health of Michigan residents.  

Ottawa County Health Department Obtains Project Public Heath Ready Recognition with the Jean Chabut Health Policy Champion Award>>

Research

The Case for Streamlining Emergency Declaration Authorities and Adapting Legal Requirements to Ever-Changing Public Health Threats

Disasters can come from unforeseeable sources and create unforeseeable problems. The nation’s response system is built to be flexible and responsive to all threats, including those we cannot predict. As a result, federal, state, and local governments adopted the National Incident Management System (NIMS), a framework developed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, for responding to all forms of emergencies, including terrorist attacks, natural disasters, oil spills, and emerging infectious diseases. NIMS’s defining characteristics—a clear chain of command and flexible organizational structure—allow it to adapt to any situation. 

The Case for Streamlining Emergency Declaration Authorities and Adapting Legal Requirements to Ever-Changing Public Health Threats>>

Tools & Resources

School EOPs (Emergency Operations Plans) In-Depth: Planning for Large Events

This three-module course from Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) has been designed to help define large events and the special vulnerabilities they pose to schools, understand planning considerations unique to large events, update the other annexes in an emergency operations plan (EOP) to account for large events, conduct staff and stakeholder training and exercises related to large events, and use data and techniques (e.g., after action reports) to revise and maintain an EOP.

School EOPs (Emergency Operations Plans) In-Depth: Planning for Large Events>>