Instructor: Mary Spalding, MA, MLIS Medical Librarian, Western Maryland Area Health Education Center (AHEC) This program is sponsored in whole or in part by the National Library of Medicine

 After this presentation, attendees will be able to: ◦ Identify reliable Internet-based disaster health resources relevant to women and families in Western Maryland. ◦ Identify reliable Internet-based disaster health resources relevant to seniors and other vulnerable populations, as well as caregivers.

Mary Spalding, MA, MLIS Western Maryland AHEC Program Coordinator and Medical Librarian  Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science from University of South Carolina; Master’s Degree in English from West Virginia University with additional PhD course work;  Medical Librarian for WMAHEC since 1999, either full time or on contract;  Serves as medical library consultant for Western Maryland Health System and Somerset Hospital; formerly medical librarian at Meritus Health in Hagerstown, Maryland.  Project Coordinator, Safe Seniors: Appalachian Disaster and Emergency Health Information Outreach.  Grantwriter, project coordinator, and project librarian on numerous programs for Western Maryland Area Health Education Center (AHEC).

Western Maryland Area Health Education Center Learning Resource Center in partnership with: Allegany College of Maryland Health Continuing Education Department Allegany County Health Department Emergency Preparedness Caucus, WMAHEC Frostburg State University Pre-Medical Society Garrett County Health Department Meritus Health Medical Library and Education Department Social Work Caucus - Allegany/Garrett Counties, WMAHEC Social Work Caucus - Washington County, WMAHEC Washington County Health Department Western Maryland Health System Parish Nurse and Health Minister Program The goal of Safe Seniors: Appalachian Disaster and Emergency Health Information Outreach is to improve disaster medicine and public health information access for health professionals, first responders and others (paid or volunteer) who play a role in health- related disaster preparedness, response, and recovery in three rural Appalachian counties in Maryland, with a focus on the elderly population.

 Please! ◦ Be sure to complete the WMAHEC Participant Information Form and, after the presentation, the Evaluation Form and turn them in to the instructor after the presentation ends, and ◦ Sign in on the sign-in sheet.  THANK YOU! These materials help WMAHEC plan better programs!

 A Google search will return resources from all types of organizations and individuals. How do you know which ones are reliable?  Know how to evaluate Web sites! See these evaluation strategies on evaluating medical Web sites:

 Today’s focus will be on the National Library of Medicine’s Disaster Information Management Research Center (DIMRC). For more information on the site, go to:  DIMRC provides links to resources that have been evaluated by the National Library of Medicine’s medical librarians who are experts in disaster literature. Resources linked to by DIMRC have been produced by organizations deemed reliable on the topic, including government, educational, non-profit, faith-based, and other organizations. Evaluation criteria used in selecting these resources can be found here: tml  In your packet is a list of resources demonstrated today.

 Keep the National Library of Medicine’s Disaster Information Management Research Center’s URL (Web address) handy! OR:  Google two words: NLM disaster; the DIMRC should be your first result!

Free, downloadable or printable resources found at NLM DIMRC include:  Fact sheets, tip sheets, checklists;  Sample disaster plans for a variety of purposes, including personal and community preparedness;  Educational videos and online courses;  Reports of best practices based on evidence from actual events;  Resources on coping with disasters;  Downloadable apps for your phone or mobile device;  Index of professional literature on disasters with links (in some cases) to the full text;  And much more!

Disaster Types and Topics

Disaster Types: Bioterrorism Chemical Emergencies Fires and Wildfires Geographical Hazards (Earthquakes) Pandemic Disease Outbreaks Radiation Emergencies Weather and Storms

 For instance, if you wanted to find information on preparing for tornadoes, one way to find that information at NLM DIMRC would be to: 1) Click on “Disaster Types” 2) Click on “Weather and Storms” 3) Click on “Tornadoes” A list of relevant resources already “vetted” by NLM medical librarians will appear—Click on any of these to read, download, or print

A printout of this fact sheet/tip sheet from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration is included in your packet as a sample

A Sample Resource Found under Disaster Types / Weather and Storms / Tornadoes: Frequently updated National Weather Service display of national warnings and advisories Direct URL: Tornado Watches and Warnings are in RED

Disaster-Related Topics Animals in Disasters Disaster Apps and Mobile Optimized Web Pages Community Preparedness Coping with Disasters, Violence, and Traumatic Stress Disaster Recovery Ethics in Disaster Medicine and Public Health Personal Preparedness Mass Gatherings Special Populations Disaster-Related Competencies for Healthcare Providers Sources of Emergency and Disaster Information from the U.S. Government

 This is a lot of clicking! Are you feeling overwhelmed?  The DIMRC is very well organized; remember that you can always return to the “Home” page and start again.  You can also use the “bread crumbs” at the top of each screen to see where you are and where you’ve been; however...  Once you’ve left DIMRC to go to a resource at another organization’s site, you will lose your breadcrumbs—that’s when the BACK button comes in handy.

“Breadcrumbs” let you know where you are and how you got here; Click on any of these to get back to that screen Another tip: Use one of these buttons to change the size of the text on the screen – NLM wants its material accessible to everyone! Another way to increase or decrease the size of material in a Web browser is to hold down your Control key and press the PLUS sign or MINUS sign (near the backspace key) – This works on most computers

 NLM’s DIMRC does not, generally, create its own content.  DIMRC is a directory to disaster resources created by other organizations that NLM medical librarians have selected as reliable.  Think of DIMRC as a sort of disaster encyclopedia with clickable links.  Within DIMRC are numerous ways to find resources, and you will often see topics and resources repeated in various places.  Try several ways to search for your material within DIMRC!

Now, back to NLM DIMRC – Disaster Topics Let’s look at Special Populations

 Emergency Preparedness for Older Adults; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; URL:  Disaster Planning Tips for Older Adults and their Families (PDF, 105 KB) U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; URL:  Disaster Preparedness for Seniors; State of Florida, Department of Elder Affairs; URL:  Disaster Preparedness for Seniors by Seniors (PDF, 2.2 MB); American Red Cross; URL: dness_for_Srs-English.revised_7-09.pdf dness_for_Srs-English.revised_7-09.pdf  Emergency Assistance Guide (PDF, 81 KB); U.S. Administration on Aging; URL:  Emergency Preparedness Tips for Older Adults; American Geriatrics Society Emergency Preparedness Tips for Older Adults  Guidelines for Mainstreaming the Needs of Older Persons in Disaster Situations in the Caribbean (PDF, 1.5 MB); URL:  Just In Case: Emergency Readiness for Older Adults and Caregivers (PDF, 874 KB) U.S. Administration on Aging; URL: ks.pdf ks.pdf  Nursing Home Emergency Prepardedness and Response During Recent Hurricanes (PDF, 1.2 MB); Office of the Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services; URL:  Older Adults and Fire (PDF, 131 MB) ; U.S. Fire Administration, FEMA; URL:  Older Americans (PDF, 545 KB); FEMA Brochure; URL:

 What to do?  Check out the resources at DIMRC’s Disaster Topics – Animals in Disasters

Resources About Coping with Disasters, Violence, and Traumatic Events (also found under Disaster Topics)

Coping Resources – A variety of categories

Each Disaster topic ends with links to PubMed/ MEDLINE citations on that topic with the search already done for you! MEDLINE (searched with PubMed) is the National Library of Medicine’s index of virtually all reliable medical/health professional literature published in the U.S. and from some places abroad.

A searchable Resource Guide is available on the DIMRC Home Page As is a general search window, and an A to Z index of resources

Resource guide search for “rural” – (a few of the results)

2013 March 21 Disability Inclusive Emergency Management Marcie Roth, Senior Advisor on Disability Issues for FEMA, spoke about integrating the needs of the whole community into all aspects of emergency preparedness and disaster response, recovery and mitigation efforts. Recording Slides (PDF, 4 MB) Recording Slides (PDF, 4 MB) See more topics on the Disaster Information Specialist Program Meetings/Conference Calls page at these are free for you to download and watch – You do not need to be in the Disaster Information Specialist Program!

 Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) - aredness_heat.aspx aredness_heat.aspx  Allegany County Health Department Go to Public Health Preparedness site - pdate.html pdate.html  Each county health department has local disaster health information

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 Maryland has defined16 Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) to plan and carry out the various activities that may be needed during an emergency event.  Each ESF covers a span of activities that focus on specific emergency functions such as Health and Medical Services (ESF #8) or Transportation (ESF #1).

 Primary Agency: Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH)  Your county’s health department is the local arm of DHMH.  Other types of emergencies are overseen by other Maryland agencies, described in the Maryland Emergency Management Plan at ents/The_State_of_Maryland_Emergency_Oper ations_Plan_26Aug09.pdf ents/The_State_of_Maryland_Emergency_Oper ations_Plan_26Aug09.pdf

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita reminded us that personal emergency readiness needs to be a priority for everyone, including older adults and caregivers. This supplement to Aging in Stride – Plan Ahead, Stay Connected, Keep Moving recommends a simple, three-step approach: Step 1 – Know the basics. Learn about the risks your particular community faces; know how to do things like turning off your gas and electricity; get to know your neighbors. Step 2 – Have your emergency supplies ready. This includes items you would need to survive in your home until help arrives; it should also include a personal evacuation bag, partially packed and ready to go. Step 3 – Make a personal plan. Many older persons have special needs relating to medications, medical equipment, mobility, and support services; making a personal emergency readiness plan increases the likelihood that essential needs will still be met, even in an emergency situation _links.pdf

 Complete your evaluation form and participant information form and return them to the instructor today.  Contact Mary Spalding for further information and copies of peer-reviewed articles (free until September 16) – or , Ext.  STAY SAFE!