Respond to at least one peer by supporting agreement or polite disagreement and adding additional information and ideas to further the discussion.( write me up a paragraph responding to this post below ).
The emergency preparedness plan I selected involves steps and precautions taken for pandemics and outbreaks in Newton County, Georgia. With the outbreak and continuing rise of the COVID-19 virus, I thought it would be important to understand what is done in the even of a pandemic. Newton County works closely with other public health agencies both within the state and nationwide, a major one being the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, in providing information and recommendations about how to curb the spread of the virus (Georgia Department of Public Health, 2020).
In the midst of a pandemic, there are a few public health policies and regulations in place with the intent to protect public health. Using COVID-19 as an example, there has been the adoption of a mask ordinance for persons over 8 years of age within government buildings as well as public areas (Newton County, 2020). There was also a shelter in place ordinance and closing of non-essential businesses signed by Georgia governor Kemp in order to deter the spread of the virus as well. While Newton County is a bit more open with their businesses, there are still a few that are required to stay closed where social distancing is difficult to do. Finally, Newton Countys public health department works alongside government authorities and other public health agencies in keeping the public informed and providing recommendations on topics such as handwashing, properly wearing a mask, social distancing, and quarantining when necessary (Ready.gov, 2020).
When it comes to a pandemic, it is something that is addressed by all levels of government: local, state, and federal. Each of these levels work in tandem to develop policies, rules, and regulations to be followed nationwide and within states, counties, cities, and towns. The CDC has provided a framework of 15 national capabilities for each of these levels, including tribal and territorial, to plan, operationalize, respond to and recover from outbreaks and other preparedness response emergencies. They include topics such as preparedness, recovery, information sharing, medical dispensing/administration/distribution, and public health laboratory testing, just to name a few (CDC, 2019). Another major organization to be utilized would include the National Emergency Managements Systems (NIMS). NIMS works with every type of government, non-government organization, and private sector to prevent, protect against, and respond/recover from emergency situations (FEMA, 2021).
Looking at a growing pandemic, public health agencies across the nation have worked tirelessly with other organizations both governmental and non-governmental in efforts to further protect public health. This includes making guidelines and recommendations which can lead to and influence policy and law-making decisions among authorities with the power to do so. I believe improvements should be made towards those in more underserved, impoverished communities. These communities are more vulnerable to the spread of disease due to issues such as housing circumstances, potential problems with overcrowding, and financial constraints. They may not be able to get purchase to personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, or face shields. Being at a disadvantage in these regards leads to little to no treatment and increased risk of worsening outbreaks. Being able to develop more focus and care towards these communities would be a great start towards curbing the spread of infection.
