The total cost of natural disasters reached more than $268 billion worldwide in 2020. Catastrophes such as hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, floods, and earthquakes displace millions of people every year and send thousands to emergency departments.

Climate change, increasingly crowded urban centers, and failing infrastructure all play a role in exacerbating the effect of these disasters. Yet many EMS departments remain woefully unprepared. Don’t wait for a natural disaster to hit your area–prepare now, because once disaster strikes, it’s too late and lives can be lost.

Massive health disasters are increasingly common. As climate change accelerates, so too will the rate at which people die or are injured because of climate-related natural disasters. In 2020, natural disasters claimed more than 8,000 lives worldwide. Infections and contagious diseases,  food and waterborne illnesses, global pandemics, and even the flu can trigger widespread public health catastrophes. 

In addition, illnesses are increasingly intersecting with natural disasters to produce serious emergencies. Natural disasters displace people, cause crowded conditions, and increase the risk of poor sanitation, allowing disease to more rapidly spread. Public health nurses play a critical role in educating the public and providing support to those recovering from various disaster scenarios.

To prepare a hospital to function in an emergency means implementation of a multi-faceted process that requires answers to a tremendous number of questions–Where can we create additional patient care areas in an emergency? How will we keep intubated patients safe if the hospital loses power? How can we make our food supply last if delivery trucks cannot get to the hospital?

An internal disaster can occur in many forms, from a fire in the hospital’s kitchen, to a chemical spill, to a bomb threat. With the multitude of potential hazards, developing a plan to keep your hospital functioning during these times can be quite a challenge.

Just weeks ago, it appeared that the COVID-19 in the U.S. may have been on the ropes. But the rise of the Delta variant and the potential for more variants to come reminded us that this dangerous virus will remain for the foreseeable future.

A large fire in the community, a train derailment, a tornado that destroys several homes in town, a bioterrorism attack–these are all examples of external disasters that can bring a sudden influx of patients to your hospital.  Is your hospital ready?

Every nurse working in a hospital knows to expect the unexpected. Just when the unit seems calm, your shift is well-staffed, and your patients are stable, it can turn on a dime: Your doctor decides he wants STAT blood work on one patient, your other patient’s IV infiltrates, and an admission comes in from the emergency room. Meanwhile, a code is called in the waiting room for a visitor that suddenly collapsed and is not breathing.

Suction-Assisted Laryngoscopy and Airway Decontamination, better known as the SALAD technique, can potentially lower morbidities and mortality associated with aspiration and related issues in emergency situations by using aggressive suction to quickly clear the airway before intubation. But a recent simulation suggests the technique can potentially benefit first responders, as well. 

Emergency medical responders are responsible for saving lives every day. Their knowledge and skills enable them to quickly assess and treat patients who may be unconscious, unable to communicate or located in remote terrain.