Hostname: page-component-6bf8c574d5-gr6zb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-16T22:42:56.470Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Monitoring the Health of Public Health Responders: Development and Use of the Responder Safety, Tracking, and Resilience System (R-STaR) for Hurricane Matthew

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 October 2018

Alezandria K. Turner ,
Laura Edison ,
Karl Soetebier ,
Wendy Smith  and
Cherie Drenzek
Alezandria K. Turner
Affiliation:
Georgia Department of Public Health, Atlanta, GA Temporary Field Epidemiology Assignee, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, Atlanta, GA
Laura Edison*
Affiliation:
Georgia Department of Public Health, Atlanta, GA Career Epidemiology Field Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, Atlanta, GA
Karl Soetebier
Affiliation:
Georgia Department of Public Health, Atlanta, GA
Wendy Smith
Affiliation:
Fulton County Board of Health, Atlanta, GA
Cherie Drenzek
Affiliation:
Georgia Department of Public Health, Atlanta, GA
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Laura Edison, Georgia Department of Public Health, 2 Peachtree St. NW, 14th FL, Atlanta, GA 30303 (e-mail:[email protected]).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

On October 7, 2016, Hurricane Matthew traveled along the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina causing flooding and power outages. The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) developed the Web-based Responder Safety, Tracking, and Resilience (R-STaR) system to monitor the health and safety of public health responders and to inform disaster response planning for Hurricane Matthew. Using R-STaR, responders (n = 126) were e-mailed a daily survey while deployed to document injuries or harmful exposures and a post-deployment survey on their post-deployment health and satisfaction with using R-STaR. DPH epidemiologists contacted responders reporting injuries or exposures to determine the need for medical care. Frequencies were tabulated for quantitative survey responses, and qualitative data were summarized into key themes. Five percent (6/126) of responders reported injuries, and 81% (43/53) found R-STaR easy to use. Suggestions for R-STaR improvement included improving accessibility using mobile platforms and conducting pre-event training of responders on R-STaR. Lessons learned from R-STaR development and evaluation can inform the development and improvement of responder health surveillance systems at other local and state health departments and disaster and emergency response agencies. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:74–81).

Keywords

emergency respondershurricaneoccupational exposureoccupational healthsafety management
Type
Concepts in Disaster Medicine
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 13 , Special Issue 1: Serial Hurricanes , February 2019 , pp. 74 - 81
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. Trust for America’s Health. Remembering 9/11 and anthrax: public health’s vital role in national defense. http://healthyamericans.org/assets/files/TFAH911Anthrax10YrAnnvFINAL.pdf. Published September 2011. Accessed September 17, 2017.Google Scholar
2. Werner, D, Wright, K, Thomas, M, et al. An innovation in partnership among first responders and public health: bridging the gap. Public Health Rep. 2005;120(Suppl 1):64-68.Google Scholar
3. Weinhold, B. Emergency responder health: what have we learned from past disasters? Environ Health Perspect. 2010;118(8):a346-a350.Google Scholar
4. Benedek, DM, Fullerton, C, Ursano, RJ. First responders: mental health consequences of natural and human-made disasters for public health and public safety workers. Annu Rev Public Health. 2007; 28:55-68.Google Scholar
5. The Weather Company. Hurricane Matthew recap: destruction from the Caribbean to the United States. https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/hurricane-matthew-bahamas-florida-georgia-carolinas-forecast. Published October 9, 2016. Accessed August 14, 2017.Google Scholar
6. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Hurricane Matthew unified response efforts underway. https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2016/10/08/hurricane-matthew-unified-response-efforts-underway. Published October 8, 2016. Accessed August 14, 2017.Google Scholar
7. U.S. National Response Team. Emergency responder health monitoring and surveillance. https://www.nrt.org/sites/2/files/ERHMS_Final_060512.pdf. Published January 26, 2012. Accessed May 15, 2017.Google Scholar
8. Oracle Database [computer program]. Version 11i RDBMS. Redwood Shores, CA: Oracle. 2015.Google Scholar
9. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A guide to managing stress in crisis response professions. DHHS Pub. No. SMA 4113. https://store.samhsa.gov/shin/content/SMA05-4113/SMA05-4113.pdf. Published 2005. Accessed August 5, 2017.Google Scholar
10. Burke, MJ, Sarpy, SA, Smith-Crowe, K, et al. Relative effectiveness of worker safety and health training methods. Am J Public Health. 2006;96(2):315-324.Google Scholar