Be well. Practice big medicine.
Be well. Practice big medicine. HOME PAGE TO SUBSCRIBE VISIT THE BIG MED SITE ON GOOGLE GROUPS. Friday November 13, 2009 AFRICA AMERICAS OCEANIA EUROPE MIDDLE EAST ASIA POLITICS BUSINESS RESEARCH EDUCATION WORKFORCE Managing Editor Hal Newman Contact: [email protected] Views Avi Bachar Steve Crimando Angela Devlen David Newman Hal Newman Chris Piper Norm Rooker Ghassan Michel Rubeiz Jim Rush Blair Schwartz Geary Sikich Ric Skinner W. David Stephenson David Suzuki Sacha Vais Beryl Wajsman Contributor Emeritus Erik Ronningen Tools Special Feature H5N1 Briefings News & Terrorism Books Africa Americas AustraliaNZ Europe Middle East Asia Agriculture Alliances Careers Disaster Mgmt Education Environment Faith Finance Hazard Research Health Logistics Stop Violence Against Women & Girls Technology Urban Weather/Climate YOYO96 Lessons Learned from the Ice Storms: Back-up Power by Greg Carttar [Feb 6 2009] The views expressed here reflect the views of the authors alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of any of their organizations. In particular, the views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Big Medicine, nor any member of Team EMS Inc. BIG MEDICINE VIEWS SUSAN NEWMAN Helmets are good Then I was on the grass, next to a sidewalk, lying face down. A crowd had gathered around me. Excited voices shrilled all around me. Stay calm, I thought. Stay focused, I thought. Don’t lose consciousness. The light, and reality, was too glaring to observe, so I kept my eyes shut. I begged the crowd to call an ambulance. They all seemed far more panicked than I was. I was amazed at my own calmness, observed it patiently, detached... [October 26 2009] HAL NEWMAN In the absence of gravitas: crapola In the absence of intense myth-busting information communicated by credible leaders, this kind of crapola propagates. Several times a day I find myself being called upon to explain why I believe it’s essential that we all get vax’d against H1. Here's my response... [October 27, 2009] BERYL WAJSMAN Perfidy! The UN and the Goldstone Libel Col. Richard Kemp, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, told the council that war crimes accusations against the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) were misplaced. “The IDF faces a challenge that we British do not have to face to the same extent. It is the automatic, Pavlovian presumption by many in the international media, and international human rights groups, that the IDF are in the wrong...” [October 26 2009] JIM RUSH The healthcare supply system and emergency management Elected officials, emergency managers, healthcare executives and public health officials are focused on protecting and treating patients who are, or will be infected by the H1N1 epidemic. Govt procurement officials now understand that all the money in the world can’t buy medical products that are unavailable due to high worldwide demand... [October 19 2009] GHASSAN RUBEIZ A new approach to US aid in the Muslim world In absolute volume–over $25 to $30 billion dollars annually–America spends more than any other country in foreign aid. Despite the impressive quantity, however, American aid is scant in relation to its national wealth. America donates about 0.016 of its gross national product... [October 14 2009] DAVID SUZUKI It’s time to rethink our approach to garbage Planned obsolescence – the absurd practice of producing goods that won’t last so that the consumer cycle can continue – is still very much with us. We can all avoid buying products that are over-packaged or that are “disposable” – and encourage producers to be more responsible... [September 18 2009] ELIZABETH DAVIS Breastfeeding 101 for Emergency Managers ...why as emergency managers are we not working with our partners at HHS and CDC and our local departments of health to include within our preparedness message and materials that breastfeeding is not only a healthy option in general but a lifesaving one in times of distress?... [July 22 2009] NORM ROOKER Music, EMS and memories good and not so good ...Mike and I each got a large bore IV going and secured by arrival at the hospital. From time of dispatch to arrival at the hospital was 11 minutes. We were definitely all over that call. Between us and trauma services at SF General our patient survived his injuries and now every time I or my crews have a “kick ass” watch, the sound track in my head always starts with “The Heat is On”... [July 17 2009] BEKELE GELETA Climate change: the ultimate early warning Audible, however, in the background to our report, written not by us but by independent specialist experts, is the steady drum beat of climate warning – still thankfully classifiable as “early” warning. And still capable – if not for very much longer – of being coupled with “early” action... [July 17 2009] ANDREW FIELDEN Talk About A Revolution This was the true revolution of June 15th. As information was coming out of Iran it was being viewed by thousands and then resent (retweeted) so that it would be viewed by even more. All of this in pretty much real time and it had nothing to do with the large news agencies. In fairness to the news agencies they are beginning to catch on... [Jun 19 2009] ANGELA DEVLEN Pandemic Preparedness & Response: The Top 10 I probably rocked the boat a bit when I essentially refused to write a plan specifically for H5N1 avian influenza. I was especially obstinate when required to write a Hospital COOP for pandemic. I am less concerned frankly with what the risk or hazard is. Do not interpret this to mean I do not support mitigation. I do. But at the end of the day, I like plans people can use... [Jun 19 2009] W. DAVID STEPHENSON Networked homeland security as model for piracy issue Watching the coverage of the Maersk Alabama piracy incident, it seemed to me that conventional responses are ineffective because of the extreme asymmetrical aspect of the situation and because conventional treaty-based mutual defense approaches aren’t relevant on the high seas... [May 31 2009] REG GREEN The gift that heals A pediatric emergency room is not a place for the squeamish. Children come in who ran in front of a car on the last day of school or fell off a bicycle or drowned while their parents went to answer the doorbell. These are not children who have suffered from a chronic illness where death could have been foreseen. The shock is total. “The parents hurt so much. Some of them seem to need help just to survive,” says Mindy Zoll, a transplant coordinator with TransLife, the organ procurement organization in central Florida... [Apr 21 2009] Reg Green is the author of The Gift that Heals, and heads the Nicholas Green Foundation. His family’s story was the basis for a made-for-television movie, starring Jamie Lee Curtis, called “Nicholas’ Gift,” for which she was nominated for an Emmy and has been shown worldwide. ROBERTA COHEN An institutional gap for disaster IDPs Laws and policies are needed to protect against human rights abuse in disaster response. National human rights commissions can assist governments in drafting these documents and can monitor the extent to which the rights of disaster victims are protected. After the Indian Ocean tsunami, the Sri Lankan National Human Rights Commission took up hundreds if not thousands of cases of persons with human rights problems... [Apr 8 2009] BROOKINGS-BERN PROJECT ON INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT GHASSAN MICHEL RUBIEZ One-state solution requires a shared state of mind A more popular and explicit form of the Palestinian one-state idea, shared by a tiny minority of Israelis, is secular in nature. In this second form, a one-state scenario would be a product of uniting “Israel proper” and “Palestine” in a single, bi-national state, voluntarily, a la post-apartheid South African model... [Feb 17 2009] A. CELESTE SAULS-MARKS Spontaneous Volunteer Management in a Disaster While every disaster presents new issues, new response parameters and requires unique adaptations to previous response scenarios, there are two constants for every large-scale disaster: stuff – and people – show up. During times of crisis, it is a natural for people to want to either donate material goods and services, or their time, to help... [Feb 6 2009] In Memoriam DAVID A.H. NEWMAN The Original Big Med Tribal Elder The tribal elder's slippers [by Hal Newman] I'm going to close this column with a passage my father wrote about what it means to be a First Responder: "You may not receive heartfelt thanks for what you do. Sometimes you will be blamed, because people suffering pain and loss need to blame someone. It goes with the territory and only time can redress the injustice. Learn to accept the hurt with the good things, and don't be too hard on yourself... David A. H. Newman 1931-2008 STEVE CRIMANDO The Perfect Storm: Economic Stress and Holiday Stress Collide For many, the holidays are a time of reflection and review of the past, while also for planning and goal setting for the future. In an environment marked by uncertainty and fear, this holiday season may seem overwhelming... [Nov 26 2008] CHRIS PIPER Australian Aid Resource and Training Guide November 2008 Edition Lucy is (with another lass) taking up the Congo Canoe Challenge next month …paddling 500 kms up the Congo to raise money for medical equipment and supplies for the regional hospital located in Lotumbe (rather them than me!). Fantastic cause, so if you want to sponsor this contact Lucy... [Nov 9 2008] ANGELA DEVLEN Mahila Partnership is launched The University of Massachusetts Center for Rebuilding Sustainable Communities After Disasters (CRSCAD) and Mahila Partnership have established a partnership, working together to strengthen communities locally and internationally; focusing on sustainable rebuilding after disasters, and decreasing the impact of disasters on women and their families with a focus on particularly vulnerable populations... [Sep 16 2008] SACHA VAIS Canadian Boys Don't Beg On Halloween night in 1994, in Montreal, Quebec, I committed a reprehensible crime. I got away scot-free. The deed went unpunished. I never got caught. Since I’m incriminating myself anyway, I might as well fess up to the whole offense—the truth is, I committed the same odious crime umpteen times that night... [Sep 16 2008] RIC SKINNER A perspective on hazard vulnerability analysis by hospitals [Part 1] The Real Estate industry and the Disaster Preparedness & Response sector have three things in common: “Location… Location…Location.” When looking for my current house, I wanted one located in a woodsy setting with a brook or pond within view. When analyzing hazard events that a hospital might be exposed to, one should consider the hospital’s location... [July 31 2008] BLAIR SCHWARTZ On becoming senior & Germanic terms that make us sound smarter than we really are ...the simple fact remains that the only way to gain expertise in a vast array of diagnostic/ therapeutic dilemmas and acutely decompensating patients is to be there when it happens... [Jan 28 08] NEWMAN'S PANDEMICS Pandemic Revisited ...our propensity to go into ‘feeding’ frenzies when confronted with real or anticipated scarcities of anything – such as popularized toys or almost anything else – makes it inevitable that the ‘nasty’ scenarios, including riots and mayhem, are highly likely. [Sep 6 07] AVI BACHAR The Bachar Sessions: Local Leadership during an Earthquake ...being the right person at the right place; showing the population that you care about what is happening to them, that you are part of them; making them feel that all of us will eventually come out of the disaster strengthened, making them feel that someone out there cares for them, someone who can be trusted, someone who is a leader, the right person at the right time... [Jul 9 07] GEARY SIKICH Business Continuity as a Strategic Initiative My basic argument expressed herein, is quite simple; “If we as continuity planners, claim to address business continuity, shouldn’t the plans we have created be comprehensive enough to ensure the survival of the business that is implementing the plan?” [Nov 18 06] ERIK RONNINGEN The Great Escape! Final Farewells I was on the West coast presenting to a group of architects when the telephone rang. The secretary answered it in muted tones, and after a moment looked directly at me and said with quiet authority, “Sir, you have to take this call. It’s your wife.” [May 4 06] RONNINGEN'S 9/11 The World Trade Center. September 11, 2001. One Man's Experience The roar from somewhere above assaulting our ears sounded like an express freight train crossing an old railroad trestle. A huge flaming red and bright orange fireball came whooshing, blistering down and exploded not 25 feet outside my windows. Then the blizzard began. [May 4 06] SPECIAL FEATURE Chapter 7--Emergency Management--Public Safety Canada Fall 2009 Report of the Auditor GeneralPublic Safety Canada needs to ensure that Canada is ready with a coordinated response to large-scale emergencies, whether pandemics, floods, or forest fires, says the Auditor General of Canada, Sheila Fraser, in her Report tabled today in the House of Commons. “The government must be ready to respond quickly and effectively when emergencies arise,” said Ms. Fraser. “Canada needs to have a planned and coordinated approach in place so that federal, provincial, and municipal agencies know what part they will play in managing a crisis.” Public Safety Canada has developed an interim Federal Emergency Response Plan to coordinate activities in an emergency, but it needs to be assured that other departments are ready to play their part. The audit found that the Plan has not received formal approval by the government or other federal departments... http://www.bigmedicine.ca/specialfeature.htm _ _ _ In the Special Feature Archive, you can read Pandemic Preparedness Decentralized Operational Capabilities Economic consequences of swine flu outbreak Access to data triggers transformation Post-Katrina Emergency Messaging for the Disability Community Fire Smoke! Re-thinking our course of action in treatment and safety Tracking Human Factors in the Financial Crisis: Lessons for Pandemic Planning UNH/NOAA Report: Arctic Region Underprepared for Maritime Accidents Southern California Wildfires After Action Report The Past as the Future of Emergency Preparedness and Management A perspective on hazard vulnerability analysis by hospitals [Part 1] Emergency Management: GAO Responses to Post-hearing Questions for the Record Rush's Tiers of Healthcare Integration Information Seeking Behavior and Viewpoints of Emergency Preparedness and Management Professionals Concerned with Health and Medicine BIG MEDICINE NEWS Last updated: November 13, 2009 07:28:30 -0500 ARTICLES ARE KEPT ON-LINE FOR A MINIMUM OF SEVEN DAYS. HEADLINES LINK DIRECTLY TO ARTICLES. AFRICA 1105 Sexual violence prevention and re-integration funding "falls through cracks" [DRC] 1105 Turning to traditional medicine in fight against malaria [Africa] 1024 Mentors to boost breastfeeding [Mali] 1024 Death toll rises as cholera spreads [Tanzania] 1024 Child disability, the forgotten crisis [DRC] 1024 Humanitarian stockpile takes shape - on paper [West Africa] 1024 Aid groups mobilize to help wounded [Guinea] 1024 Shift aid base to "safe" areas in-country, urges UN official [Somalia] 1024 US troops help build disaster response capacity [East Africa] 1024 Humanitarian crisis now unfolding in Angola - DRC [Luanda-Kinshasa] 1024 Cholera returns and kills five, so far [Zimbabwe] 1024 Rains wash away IDP shelters in Mogadishu [Somalia] 1017 Cholera kills at least 51 in north [Cameroon] 1017 Stopping cholera emergencies [West Africa] 1017 Driving home the cholera message [Guinea-Bissau] 1013 Fifty quarantined as first H1N1 death reported [Tanzania] 1013 How To: Rescue people trapped in a collapsed building [Kenya] 1013 Cholera kills 29 as water shortage bites [Kenya] 1013 Rains, poor roads hamper mystery disease response [Sudan] ARTICLES ARE KEPT ON-LINE FOR A MINIMUM OF SEVEN DAYS. HEADLINES LINK DIRECTLY TO ARTICLES. AMERICAS 1112 New recommendations on H1N1 vax for children [Prince Edward Island] 1112 Quebec facilite la vaccination des jeunes du milieu scolaire [Quebec] 1112 Nine H1N1 cases currently hospitalized with severe respiratory illnesses [Manitoba] 1112 Since Nov 3, another 202 new severe cases of H1N1 in the province [British Columbia] 1112 FDA expands use of H1N1 vax to include infants and children [Rockville MD] 1112 First H1N1-related death in the city this fall [Boston MA] 1112 Heavy rains causing Midlands-area sewage problems [Columbia SC] 1112 Weekend H1N1 vax clinics expanded to cover people with underlying health conditions [New York NY] 1112 Clinics to vax up to 3,000 high-risk people [Delaware] 1112 Health officials recommend parents check children's vax records to verify whether booster dose of Hib vax is required [North Dakota] 1112 Expanded H1N1 vax availability for all target populations [Louisiana] 1112 Quantities of seasonal flu vax diminishing [Kentucky] 1112 More H1N1 deaths confirmed as more vax arrives in state [Arkansas] 1112 State recommends continued prioritization of H1N1 vax [Wisconsin] 1112 Additional H1N1 flu death announced [Topeka Kansas] 1112 Province expands H1N1 vax program to include first responders [Ontario] 1112 Québec dévoile la séquence de vaccination prévue pour le deuxième groupe de population [Quebec] 1112 H1N1 vax groups expanded [Nova Scotia] 1112 O'Leary flu assessment site closed due to low numbers [Prince Edward Island] 1111 Governor declares disaster for Kodiak storms [Alaska] 1111 More than 1,000 hospitalized for ILI since Sept 1 [Oregon] 1111 Two more flu-related deaths reported [Wyoming] 1106 Le ministre Bolduc annonce le mise en place d'un systeme de gestion de l'acces a la vax contre la H1N1 [Quebec] 1106 Assembly of First Nations and Health Canada to co-host a virtual summit on H1N1 preparedness on Nov 10 [Ottawa ON] 1106 Currently 14 individuals in ICUs with severe respiratory illness [Manitoba] 1106 For the week ending Nov 3 there were 183 new severe cases of H1N1 [British Columbia] 1106 DNA analysis confirms positive identification on seventh foot [Burnaby BC] 1106 AHS investigation into inappropriate use of H1N1 vaccine [Calgary AB] 1106 More risk groups added to H1N1 vax campaign [Saskatchewan] 1106 Targeted H1N1 immunization of priority groups expands [Edmonton AB] 1106 HHS orders intravenous an… truncated (70,984 more characters in archive)