Objectives: The aim of this study was to provide insights learned from disaster research response (DR2) efforts following Hurricane Harvey in 2017 to launch DR2 activities following the Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) fire in Deer Park, Texas, in 2019.

Methods: A multidisciplinary group of academic, community, and government partners launched a myriad of DR2 activities.

Results: The DR2 response to Hurricane Harvey focused on enhancing environmental health literacy around clean-up efforts, measuring environmental contaminants in soil and water in impacted neighborhoods, and launching studies to evaluate the health impact of the disaster. The lessons learned after Harvey enabled rapid DR2 activities following the ITC fire, including air monitoring and administering surveys and in-depth interviews with affected residents.

Conclusions: Embedding DR2 activities at academic institutions can enable rapid deployment of lessons learned from one disaster to enhance the response to subsequent disasters, even when those disasters are different. Our experience demonstrates the importance of academic institutions working with governmental and community partners to support timely disaster response efforts. Efforts enabled by such experience include providing health and safety training and consistent and reliable messaging, collecting time-sensitive and critical data in the wake of the event, and launching research to understand health impacts and improve resiliency.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8443687PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2020.467DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

lessons learned
12
dr2 activities
12
learned disaster
8
disaster response
8
hurricane harvey
8
itc fire
8
academic institutions
8
dr2
6
responding natural
4
natural industrial
4

Similar Publications

The personal and the national: Lessons learned in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks in Israel.

Psychiatry Res

December 2024

Departments of Psychiatry, Medical Education, System Design & Global Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave Levy Place, New York, NY, United States. Electronic address:

On October 7, 2023, terrorist organizations led by Hamas, launched an extensive attack on Israel. Within days following the initial attack, there was a clear need to provide psychological support to individuals who were exposed to the horrors of the October 7 attacks. Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center - Ichilov, a tertiary medical center, launched an emergency mental health service to provide psychological first aid to the first-line victims of the war.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, little was known about the spread of COVID-19 in Dutch nursing homes while older people were particularly at risk of severe symptoms. Therefore, attempts were made to develop a nationwide COVID-19 repository based on routinely recorded data in the electronic health records (EHRs) of nursing home residents. This study aims to describe the facilitators and barriers encountered during the development of the repository and the lessons learned regarding the reuse of EHR data for surveillance and research purposes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in Nigeria where, the gap between need for, and access to, radiation therapy including brachytherapy is significant. This report documents the implementation of the first three-dimensional high-dose-rate (3D-HDR) brachytherapy service for cervical cancer in Nigeria.

Purpose: This report details the steps taken to implement the 3D-HDR brachytherapy program, the challenges faced, and the adaptive strategies employed to overcome them.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Wastewater monitoring - passive sampling for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 and antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater.

Sci Total Environ

December 2024

TZW: DVGW-Technologiezentrum Wasser, Karlsruher Str. 84, D-76139 Karlsruhe, Germany. Electronic address:

As a lesson learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater-based epidemiology was recognised and used as an important method for surveillance and early detection of SARS-CoV-2. As a result, consideration of wastewater as a source of public health information has gained new prominence, and there is consensus that similar approaches can be used to detect the spread of other viral pathogens or antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in populations. However, the implementation of wastewater monitoring poses challenges in terms of obtaining representative and meaningful samples.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

European biologic training course for type 2 inflammation by EUFOREA in 2024: key facts and lessons learned.

Front Allergy

December 2024

Department of Otorhinolarynogology and Head/Neck Surgery, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

The European Forum for Research and Education in Allergy and Airways diseases (EUFOREA) organized the first European Biologic Training Course (EBTC) in Brussels on 1st March 2024. The aim of this hybrid EBTC including both face-to-face and web-based participation was to address the educational needs of physicians dealing with asthma and Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps (CRSwNP) on the clinically relevant aspects of diagnosing and treatment with biologics. EUFOREA is an international non-for-profit organization forming an alliance of all stakeholders dedicated to reducing the prevalence and burden of chronic respiratory diseases through the implementation of optimal patient care via educational, research, and advocacy activities.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!