Publications by authors named "Rachel Charney"

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted healthcare worker well-being, leading to increased burnout and decreased workplace engagement. To combat expected stressors from the pandemic, our mid-sized academic health center implemented numerous institutional support, such as town halls, and virtual support groups. This study aimed to evaluate faculty utilization of institutional support, its association with perceived organizational support, received organizational support, and burnout.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Since the events of 9/11, a concerted interagency effort has been undertaken to create comprehensive emergency planning and preparedness strategies for the management of a radiological or nuclear event in the US. These planning guides include protective action guidelines, medical countermeasure recommendations, and systems for diagnosing and triaging radiation injury. Yet, key areas such as perception of risk from radiation exposure by first responders have not been addressed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To determine whether modified K-12 student quarantine policies that allow some students to continue in-person education during their quarantine period increase schoolwide SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk following the increase in cases in winter 2020-2021.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of COVID-19 cases and close contacts among students and staff (n = 65,621) in 103 Missouri public schools. Participants were offered free, saliva-based RT-PCR testing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To identify physical and verbal descriptors that have the highest concordance between parents/guardians and a research team member to improve reunification during a disaster when a child arrives at the emergency department separated from their family.

Methods: Parent and child pairs were recruited between February 2020 and March 2020. Each parent and research team member simultaneously recorded the child's physical characteristics and clothing items.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Most U.S. public health agencies rely upon closed points of dispensing (PODs) to aid in medical countermeasure (MCM) distribution.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Universities open for in-person instruction during the 2020-21 academic year implemented a range of prevention strategies to limit the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, including physical distancing, mask use, vaccination, contact tracing, case investigation, and quarantine protocols (1). However, in some academic programs, such as health-related programs, aviation, and kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) education, maintaining physical distance while still providing instruction is difficult; for universities with such programs, a single confirmed case of COVID-19 could result in a large number of students, staff members, and instructors being designated close contacts and requiring quarantine if they are not fully vaccinated, even if masks were worn when contact occurred. In January 2021, the St.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Closed points of dispensing (PODs) are an essential component of local public health preparedness programs because most local public health agencies lack the infrastructure to distribute medical countermeasures to all community members in a short period of time through open PODs alone. However, no study has examined closed POD recruitment strategies or approaches to determine best practices, such as how to select or recruit an agency, group, or business to become a closed POD site once a potential partner has been identified. We conducted qualitative interviews with US disaster planners to identify their approaches and challenges to recruiting closed POD sites.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * A pilot study in Springfield and St. Louis County, Missouri, during December 2020 examined the impact of these strategies on SARS-CoV-2 transmission in participating schools.
  • * Findings indicated that schools using COVID-19 mitigation strategies had lower virus transmission compared to the community, suggesting the importance of continuing these measures until more data is available.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To assess non-pediatric nurses' willingness to provide care to pediatric patients during a mass casualty event (MCE).

Methods: Nurses from 4 non-pediatric hospitals in a major metropolitan Midwestern region were surveyed in the fall of 2018. Participants were asked about their willingness to provide MCE pediatric care.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

An ongoing collaboration between physicians and librarians provided critical information during the COVID-19 pandemic. A development team, which consisted of the hospital and medical school disaster preparedness medical director, the medical library director, professional librarians, and the Departments of IT and Marketing in a multi-state healthcare system worked together to develop a shared website to distribute and curate timely resources during COVID-19. The initial impacts of this collaboration and the website show the benefits of this novel partnership.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Unaccompanied minors and other unidentified individuals may present to hospitals during disasters and require reunification with family. Hospital preparedness for family reunification during disasters has never been assessed. We sent members of the Association of Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Professionals an anonymous online survey in July and August 2019 to assess their hospital's reunification readiness during a disaster.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

During radiological disasters, firefighters and emergency medical services personnel are expected to report to work and engage in response activities; however, prior research exploring willingness to respond to radiological disasters among first responders has considered only radiological terrorism scenarios and not nonterrorism radiological scenarios. The goal of this study was to compare willingness to respond to terrorism and nonterrorism radiological disaster scenarios among first responders in St. Louis, Missouri, and to explore determinants of willingness to respond.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Little is known about first responders' knowledge of radiation exposure and the training they receive regarding radiological events. Firefighters and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel were surveyed in July 2018 to February 2019 regarding their knowledge of radiation exposure and the radiological event training they had received. Knowledge was assessed using 15 true-false questions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: A sense of competency and confidence in disaster management is linked to response willingness and efficacy. This study assessed current health-care student disaster competency curricula and resultant confidence.

Methods: A survey was sent to students and administrators in nurse practitioner (NP), master of public health (MPH), and medical/osteopathic schools (MD/DO), assessing curriculum coverage of 15 disaster management competencies (1-4, total 15-60), and confidence in performing 15 related behaviors (1-7, total 15-105).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pregnant women and children and individuals suffering from chronic illness are disproportionally impacted by public health emergencies. To meet the healthcare needs of these populations, the nursing workforce must be capable of responding in a timely and appropriate manner. The goal of this project was to create interactive and engaging evidence-based educational tool kits to advance healthcare provider readiness in the management of population health in response to the Zika and Flint Water crises.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: After disasters, unaccompanied children may present to an emergency department requiring reunification. An effective reunification system depends on the willingness of guardians to utilize it.

Objective: Assess guardian willingness to share children's personal information for reunification purposes after a disaster, perceived concerns and beliefs, and trust in reunification agencies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

An online survey was administered through the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section of Emergency Medicine Survey Listserv in Fall, 2017. was measured as never using chest X-rays, viral testing, bronchodilators, or systemic steroids. was measured as never using those modalities in a clinical vignette.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The key to resilience after disasters is the provision of coordinated care and resource distribution to the affected community. Past research indicates that the general public lacks an understanding regarding agencies' roles and responsibilities during disaster response.Study ObjectivesThis study's purpose was to explore the general public's beliefs regarding agencies or organizations' responsibilities related to resource management during disasters.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The core feature of trusts-holding property for the benefit of others-is well suited to constructing a research community that treats reagents as public goods.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Public health preparedness is an ever-evolving area of medicine with the purpose of helping the masses quickly and efficiently. The drive-through clinic (DTC) model allows the distribution of supplies or services while participants remain in their cars. Influenza vaccination is the most common form of DTC and has been utilized successfully in metropolitan areas.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hospitals are perceived as stable sources of support and assistance for the community during disasters. Expectations may outstrip hospital plans or ability to provide for the public. The purpose of this project was to explore racial disparities found in prior research and general perceptions related to the public's expectations of hospitals during disasters.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: The objectives were to determine the impact of emergency childcare (EC) needs on health care workers' ability and likelihood to work during a pandemic versus an earthquake as well as to determine the anticipated need and expected use of an on-site, hospital-provided EC program.

Methods: An online survey was distributed to all employees of an academic, urban pediatric hospital. Two disaster scenarios were presented (pandemic influenza and earthquake).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Research indicates that licensed health care workers are less willing to work during a pandemic and that the willingness of nonlicensed staff to work has had limited assessment.

Objective: We sought to assess and compare the willingness to work in all hospital workers during pandemics and earthquakes.

Methods: An online survey was distributed to Missouri hospital employees.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In 2011, an EF5 tornado hit Joplin, MO, requiring complete evacuation of 1 hospital and a patient surge to another. We sought to assess the resilience of healthcare workers in these hospitals as measured by number reporting to work, willingness to work, personal disaster preparedness, and childcare responsibilities following the disaster. In May 2013, a survey was distributed to healthcare workers at both Joplin hospitals that asked them to report their willingness to work and personal disaster preparedness following various disaster scenarios.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The public's expectations of hospital services during disasters may not reflect current hospital disaster plans. The objective of this study was to determine the public's expected hospital service utilization during a pandemic, earthquake, and terrorist bombing.

Methods: A survey was distributed to adult patients or family members at 3 emergency departments (EDs).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: fopen(/var/lib/php/sessions/ci_sessionmhi6ph8l2iv5j9k5krsgsgu2jfq4ns0n): Failed to open stream: No space left on device

Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php

Line Number: 177

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: session_start(): Failed to read session data: user (path: /var/lib/php/sessions)

Filename: Session/Session.php

Line Number: 137

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once