Emergency Preparedness Training and Response Among Community Health Centers and Local Health Departments: Results from a Multi-State Survey

E Ablah; KS Konda; K Konda; M Melbourne; JN Ingoglia; KM Gebbie
Journal of Community Health

June 1, 2010

Due to their access to medically underserved and vulnerable populations, community health centers (CHCs) can play an essential role in emergency response. CHCs often fill this role in partnership with other local health resources, such as local health departments (LHD). Little research has been done to understand the success of these partnerships as it relates to emergency planning and emergency response. This study compares CHC and LHD personnel regarding past, present, and future collaborative preparedness and response activities. This study suggests that collaborations between CHCs and LHDs in general are occurring, but these general collaboration are not being translated into participation in functional drills or exercises. Additional efforts to ensure a more comprehensive partnership between CHCs and LHDs in emergency preparedness are warranted.

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