EP

Because natural and manmade disasters can occur at any time, individuals, communities, and governments must be prepared. RAND has developed guidelines for individual preparedness in response to terrorist attacks; evaluated, modeled, and enhanced preparedness policy options for government officials at all levels; and recommended actions that communities should take to prepare for bioterrorist attacks, pandemic flu outbreaks, and other large-scale emergencies.

Research conducted by: RAND Health; RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment; International Programs; RAND Gulf States Policy Institute; RAND National Security Research Division; Homeland Security and Defense Center

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Simple Steps for Preparedness and Response to Terrorist Attacks

Individuals can take simple steps to protect themselves from the harmful effects of potential terrorist attacks involving chemical, radiological, nuclear, and biological weapons.

All Items (201)

BLOG

Attempts by States to Save Money by Locking Medicaid Enrollees out of the ED Are Likely to Backfire — May 21, 2012

A better solution than restricting emergency department use by Medicaid enrollees is to reverse what for many years has been a trend of shrinking access to primary care for Medicaid beneficiaries.

COMMENTARY

Emergency Departments, Medicaid Costs, and Access to Primary Care—Understanding the Link — May 16, 2012

The fact that many ED (emergency department) visits could be managed in primary care settings does not mean that such care is available, write Arthur L. Kellermann and Robin M. Weinick.

REPORT

Analysis of the Cities Readiness Initiative — Mar 27, 2012

The Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI) aims to improve communities' ability to rapidly provide life-saving medications during public health emergencies. The authors examine (1) the status of communities' operational capability to meet the goal of delivering medical countermeasures within 48 hours of a federal decision to deploy assets and (2) whether there is evidence that CRI has improved communities' capability to meet that goal.

REPORT

Preventing emergency readmissions to hospital: A scoping review — Jan 25, 2012

The study reports on the evidence and potential for use of 'emergency readmissions within 28 days of discharge from hospital' as an indicator within the NHS Outcomes Framework, drawing on a rapid review of systematic reviews.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Developing and Pilot Testing a Laboratory Specific Continuity of Operations Tabletop Exercise — Jan 1, 2012

Describes the importance of a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP), and identifies common strengths and potential vulnerabilities of laboratory-specific COOPs.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Commercial Products That Convey Personal Health Information in Emergencies — Dec 1, 2011

A wide range of products and services exist to help patients convey personal health information. Health care providers should be familiar with their features, so they can access the information in a disaster or emergency.

TOOL

Interactive Guide Helps Child-Serving Organizations Prepare for Emergencies — Nov 10, 2011

The Promising Practices Network has developed an emergency planning guide that presents high-priority preparedness activities and documents to help child-serving organizations customize their emergency plans.

PERIODICAL

RAND Health Quarterly, Vol. 1 No. 1 — Sep 9, 2011

RAND Health Quarterly is an online journal sharing the results of recent RAND research areas across a broad spectrum of health-related issues.

RESEARCH BRIEF

Why Are Many Emergency Departments in the United States Closing? — Sep 9, 2011

Between 1990 and 2009, the number of emergency rooms (ERs) in nonrural U.S. hospitals declined by 27 percent (from 2,446 to 1,779). Economic factors play a central role in an ER's ability to remain open.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Achieving Public Health Legal Preparedness: How Dissonant Views on Public Health Law Threaten Emergency Preparedness and Response — Aug 31, 2011

Organizational culture differences between public health and emergency management entities may hinder inter-agency collaboration.

COMMENTARY

Quake a Disaster 'Drill' D.C. Flunked — Aug 29, 2011

Fortunately for the nation's capitol, Hurricane Irene and the East Coast earthquake proved to be relatively minor events, as far as disasters go. But before everyone breathes a sigh of relief, it would be wise to reflect on how people responded to what were essentially dress rehearsals for much bigger events, write Lynn E. Davis and Arthur L. Kellermann.

COMMENTARY

Policymakers and Public Need to Be Able to Track and Account for Federal Disaster Funds — Jul 15, 2011

If the U.S. does not improve its ability to track federal spending and develop reliable measures of effectiveness, precious federal disaster aid will continue to be at risk of being squandered, writes Agnes Gereben Schaefer.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Factors Associated with Closures of Emergency Departments in the United States — May 17, 2011

This study found that the number of emergency departments operating in the US from 1990 to 2009 declined by 27%. EDs with safety-net status, for-profit ownership, and low profit margin were at higher risk of closure.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Resource Allocation, Emergency Response Capability, and Infrastructure Concentration Around Vulnerable Sites — Apr 30, 2011

In this paper, we describe a methodology for measuring a region's exposure to infrastructure-related risks that captures both a community's concentration of facilities or sites considered to be vulnerable and of the proximity of these facilities to surrounding infrastructure systems.

MULTIMEDIA

Managing the Unexpected — Apr 19, 2011

Admiral Thad Allen, then a senior fellow at RAND, presented “Managing the Unexpected” on April 19, 2011, as part of RAND's Issues in Focus public outreach series. Retired Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard and National Incident Commander for the response to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Allen discussed his experiences leading the nation's high-profile response to two national emergencies—the oil spill and Hurricane Katrina.

REPORT

Complex trauma research in the UK: A rapid review of the funding landscape — Apr 18, 2011

This documented briefing presents the results of a rapid review of the funding landscape for complex trauma research in the UK. Recommendations are made about how to strengthen this niche and orphan area of research.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Preparedness Exercises 2.0: Alternative Approaches to Exercise Design That Could Make Them More Useful for Evaluating — and Strengthening — Preparedness — Mar 31, 2011

Preparedness exercises play central roles in both the building and assessment of organizational readiness for future incidents. Though processes for designing and evaluating exercises are well established, there are opportunities to improve the value of exercises for strengthening preparedness and as tools for gathering assessment data. This article describes the application of systems analytical approach adapted from engineering that…

REPORT

Building Community Resilience to Disasters — Feb 22, 2011

Communities can build resilience to disasters through efforts such as joint planning of government and non-governmental organizations and the development of community networks.

RESEARCH BRIEF

Building Community Resilience to Disasters: A Roadmap to Guide Local Planning — Feb 22, 2011

Examines ways in which communities can improve their ability to withstand and recover from adversity.

NEWS RELEASE

Ways for Communities to Build Resilience to Aid Disaster Recovery — Feb 22, 2011

Communities can build resilience to disasters through efforts such as joint planning of government and non-governmental organizations and the development of community networks.

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