Rapid Needs Assessment: Where Washington’s Headed

The Challenge Rapidly and regularly getting accurate information about the health and medical needs of a disaster-struck community to the right people in time to make a difference Why? To allow for the smartest possible decisions concerning the allocation of limited resources secondarily to document need for “presidential” disaster declaration

Organizing the information Most important “Primary Information” Less important (yet still urgent) “Secondary Information”

What’s Most Important? Nature of the primary problem Scope of the event # killed, sickened, injured Status of most important resources: medical staff critical facilities critical equipment critical supplies

How to characterize status Green no significant shortages Amber some shortages, none critical Red critical shortages Allow space for details!

What Else is Urgent, but a bit less so? Secondary impacts on health & medical Status of other important resources Mental health Medical examiner & mortuaries Labs Isolation & Quarantine facilities Hazards to responders

So, who’s going to collect this info? LHJ initially State liaison, once deployed Federal staff too?

Another Source of Info

When/how often to report/collect Initial report of primary information ASAP Secondary info and updates as needed at least once daily becomes part of overall “SitRep”