Public health emergency preparedness and response.

Public health: Emergency preparedness and responses

While all areas of the nation should periodically engage in risk assessment, not all locations are equally vulnerable to different types of attacks. Public health emergencies can originate in natural causes, such as hurricanes or pandemics. Emergencies also include disasters caused by human error and emergencies due to conscious, malicious intent, such as terrorism. New York City is vulnerable to such emergencies because of its high population density as well as its political, economic, and symbolic significance.

In general, two departments coordinate emergency responses. The New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene deals with health-related issues such as the H1N1 pandemic; the Office of Emergency Management deals with catastrophic disasters such as terrorist attacks and tornadoes. The NYC Medical Reserve Corps, a trained group of health professionals schooled in emergency responses in a wide variety of disciplines...
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