The National Consensus Panel on Emergency Preparedness and Cultural Diversity, which includes the AHA, on June 11 released a consensus statement and eight guiding principles to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in public health disaster preparedness.
The statement stresses coordination with minority communities, and the panel said “their active involvement and engagement is essential to their understanding, participation in and adherence to public health preparedness and response actions.”
The panel includes 29 organizations representing emergency responders, minority organizations, public health agencies and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The release of the consensus statement coincided with the launch of the National Resource Center on Advancing Emergency Preparedness for Cultural Diverse Communities. The center is an initiative of HHS’ Office of Minority Health and the Drexel University School of Public Health’s Center for Health Equality. It is the nation’s first online clearinghouse and information exchange site designed to help eliminate disparities for minority communities across all states of an emergency.
For more information on the panel’s consensus statement and the new resource center, go to www.diversitypreparedness.org.
The National Consensus Panel’s eight principles for integrating diverse communities into preparedness planning.
- Identify diverse minority populations within the community.
- Create sustainable partnerships to build trust with diverse populations.
- Engage community representatives to design, implement and evaluate emergency risk communication strategies.
- Develop and test drills and exercises that include minority communities.
- Build the public health system’s capacity to respond to minority community needs.
- Measure and evaluate emergency plans and actions with input from minorities in the community.
- Coordinate information within and across organizations as well as with diverse communities to maximize compliance with preparedness practices.
- Ensure funds are available for services and programs that help diverse communities prepare for emergencies.
