Pitt Receives $8.4 Million To Improve Disaster Preparedness

Main Category: Aid / Disasters
Article Date: 22 Oct 2008 - 8:00 PDT

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Because acting quickly and effectively during major disasters often means the difference between life and death on a large scale, the federal government is looking for ways to improve preparedness and emergency response systems across the country.

As part of this effort, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded $8.4 million over the next five years to the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health to create a Preparedness and Emergency Response Research Center. The Center's experts will develop methods to evaluate emergency response plans and "best practices" to handle public health emergencies caused by the spread of infectious diseases, defective water and sewage systems, natural disasters or intentional acts.

"The capacity of local governments to respond to public health disasters varies greatly from region to region," said Maggie Potter, J.D., principal investigator of the grant and associate dean and director of the Center for Public Health Practice at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. "We know the difference between a poor response and an effective one based on actual outcomes, but we know much less about the underlying reasons why some plans work well and others fail."

Potter and her team will focus initially on infectious diseases, such as the flu, to develop criteria and metrics for emergency preparedness, model their effectiveness using sophisticated computer-based techniques and develop new standards for emergency responses to improve quality of life for community members.

"Public health emergencies create heavy demands on state and local health agencies, but by using these quantitative methods, we can target the spending for preparedness more wisely and make better decisions about handling emergencies when they arise," Potter said. The center also will focus on emergency preparedness in vulnerable communities - those who typically lack access to resources and services.

"We know from research and experiences like Hurricane Katrina that race, ethnicity, poverty, disability, age and other factors that affect health status during routine times put individuals and families at greater risk during an emergency. Our research will help public health systems be more effective at protecting diverse communities," said Sandra Quinn, Ph.D., co-principal investigator of the grant and associate dean of Student Affairs and Education at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. "Part of our center will focus on how we can develop a more integrated and comprehensive approach to emergency planning that includes more marginalized communities who aren't typically part of that process."

The Pitt center is one of seven being established and funded nationwide by the CDC over the next five years. Co-investigators at the University of Pittsburgh include Donald S. Burke, M.D.; Samuel Stebbins, M.D., M.P.H.; Patricia M. Sweeney, J.D., R.N., M.P.H.; Joshua Epstein, Ph.D. (also affiliated with the Brookings Institution); Louise Comfort, Ph.D.; Russell Schuh, Ed.D.; and Chyongchiou Jeng Lin, Ph.D.

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center