NURS FPX 4060 Assessment 3 Disaster Recovery Plan

Name

Capella university

NURS-FPX 4060 Practicing in the Community to Improve Population Health

Prof. Name

Date

Disaster Recovery Plan

Hello everyone! I am _______, an experienced healthcare professional at Tall Oaks Medical Center. Today, I will present a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) focused on reducing healthcare disparities and the critical role of interprofessional teams in restoring safety within the community.

Disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, and wildfires, have amplified in frequency and power in current years. From 2001 to 2020, 6,685 natural disasters claimed 510,838 lives and impacted 3.8 billion individuals (Kharb et al., 2022). These devastating events disrupt mental, social, and financial well-being. They tend to worsen health disparities as marginalized communities struggle to access essential healthcare and social services. This DRP is designed to promote fair access to medical facilities, addressing challenges related to flood recovery.

Scenario

Tall Oaks, PA, experienced a devastating flood on Saturday night, leading to the instant activation of a DRP. Heavy rainfall led to river overflows, resulted in extensive flooding, and raised multiple public safety concerns. Socioeconomic and cultural vulnerabilities have heightened risks for certain groups. The neighborhoods of Pine Ridge and Willow Creek have been particularly affected, with over 60% of the town’s residential areas stuck. Rescue efforts have been hampered by infrastructure issues, raising alarms over water contamination from a compromised treatment plant and blocked routes to Tall Oaks Medical Center. 

The town’s 50,000-person population is 49% White, 36% Black, 10% Hispanic, 2% multiracial, and 3% from other racial backgrounds. Despite 82.5% of residents over 25 having completed high school and 22.5% holding a college degree, 20% live in substandard housing. The median household income is $62,000. The magnitude of this flood highlights the pressing necessity for a complete DRP in the Tall Oaks community (Capella University, n.d.).

Health Determinants and Interrelationships Among these Factors

Floods are a major global environmental crisis shaped by climate change and socioeconomic shifts. Tall Oaks faces considerable risks, resulting in notable economic and human losses. Devastating floods have serious economic, social, and environmental consequences. Factors such as socioeconomic status, access to healthcare, housing conditions, and community infrastructure are fundamental in the health outcomes of residents in Tall Oaks. Challenges related to social and economic conditions, including poverty, inadequate housing, and limited resources, hinder disaster recovery efforts in the area.

According to the Emergency Incidents Database, floods claimed 6.7 million lives worldwide in the 20th century. Various studies have indicated that floods were responsible for the highest number of fatalities in the United States (U.S), reporting 1,187 deaths from 34 flood events over a few years, imposing an economic burden on the state (Han & Sharif, 2021). Tall Oaks experiences financial difficulties, with a median household income of $44,444 and a poverty rate of 28.2%. Additionally, 13.8% of persons under 66 report disabilities, while 9.8% lack health insurance.

NURS FPX 4060 Assessment 3 Disaster Recovery Plan

The assessment of flood damage poses significant challenges due to the presence of flood control measures, varying rainfall patterns, and geographic influences. A successful collaborative approach involves multiple authorities working together to address the aftermath of flooding in Tall Oaks. The societal effects of flooding encompass declines in both physical and mental health, disruptions to community ties, and delays in local economic growth.

These consequences arise from a range of factors, highlighting the need to examine overlooked aspects within the community. The residents of Tall Oaks face a complex array of issues, including low income levels, inadequate support systems, limited access to healthcare, and educational barriers. Floods result in social disturbance, leading to shifts in population, financial struggles, and damage to public infrastructure. Insufficient assistance following disasters, weak support networks, and challenges with evacuation services in Tall Oaks hinder the effectiveness of the DRP (Kharb et al., 2022). 

The group of workers in Tall Oaks faces problems connected with change in cultural relations such as oppositions in beliefs, relationships, and language. Restoring and replacing infrastructure and raising money for recovery is challenging when communities are hit by disasters. The four major aspects to be included in the DRP approaches are health, social, cultural, and economic aspects that can help offset the impacts of disasters (Peek & Guikema, 2021). The costs of the floods are quite clear, making it even more difficult for poor communities in their processes of rebuilding. These intricate factors, therefore, explain why the impacts of disasters have to be tackled. Tall Oaks Medical Center employs a team approach to address disaster-related issues on the social and economic impact within a community.

Interrelationships Among Factors

Social, cultural, and economic factors are very influential in flood recovery processes. Differences in culture, language, beliefs, and the relationship between people immediately affect communities in Tall Oaks during recovery processes. All these cultural elements tend to increase social problems like; cohesiveness, mental health, and demographics. These issues are further compounded by economic aspects since the communities require some cash to support reconstruction work (Peek & Guikema, 2021).

The Tall Oaks community is also limited by insufficient funds to acquire the required information and support. However, financial constraints delay the process of recovery in the community. The conflict of economic issues like poverty and social issues like resource deficiency increases the risk of the Tall Oaks community and hinders recovery. Any flood recovery plan needs to consider these cultural, social, and economic factors because they are all linked. Such an approach may help communities overcome the challenges of recovery more effectively (Peek & Guikema, 2021). 

Need for Disaster Recovery Plan

The organization had various challenges such as shortages in food, clean water, medical staff, and transportation services within Tall Oaks. From this situation, the nurses can gain important knowledge and apply the concept of the MAP-IT framework (Mobilize, Assess, Plan, Implement, and Track) proposed by Sardjono et al. (2024). They assess the effectiveness of the rescue operations. By applying this framework, Tall Oaks Medical Center will be able to discover what needs to be worked on in order to have a sound DRP in place.

At THP, our DRP includes components of community safety, which include concepts such as relocation plans in case of emergencies, telemedicine, community warning systems, and first aid classes. This structured approach helps the community for the next disaster and also focuses on the gaps that are determined by the MAP-IT framework (Sardjono et al., 2024). The following section describes the process of proposing a DRP using the MAP-IT framework as follows.

Mobilization

When mobilizing, Tall Oaks gets a dedicated flood recovery team that comprises emergency services, local governing authorities, and others with stored crucial items. Interprofessional cooperation is required when it comes to obtaining food, housing, and medical equipment and coordinating the rescue process (Sardjono et al., 2024).

Assessment

In the assessment phase, a thorough evaluation is carried out to measure the flood’s effects on Tall Oaks. This involves assessing the extent of damage to infrastructure and investigating areas facing critical shortages of essential resources like clean water, food, medical staff, and transportation facilities. Additionally, this phase focuses on identifying the community’s social needs related to mental health, housing insecurity, and economic challenges (Sardjono et al., 2024).

Planning

After the assessment, the school comes up with a comprehensive DRP at Tall Oaks. This plan recognizes a need to guarantee the availability of water, food, shelter, veterinary services, and means of transport. It is a collection of measures aimed at constructing floodproof structures and improving the population’s preparedness. Also, there are objectives in staff development for healthcare and in the creation of resources for emergency readiness in Tall Oaks Medical Center. The measure relates to issues concerning the hospital, addresses the issue of waterborne diseases, plans for drug availability, and mental health services.

Implementing

The execution phase consists of putting into practice different improvement strategies. These involve creating and implementing savings programs, increasing the alertness of community systems to enhance early warning, and establishing the use of telehealth that will enable remote health care. They include a call for building structures that will be resilient to floods, and they also include calls for conducting first aid demonstrations in the Tall Oaks community.

Tracking

The restoration process requires that it should be closely monitored and assessed. In the tracking phase, strategies are analyzed in detail with a view to establishing areas that require enhancement. Periodical awareness creation programs are conducted for the residents as well as emergency response teams. This phase entails identifying the impact of implemented interventions as well as making rational decisions. Tall Oak’s goal of developing an effective DRP is to address the current needs and enhance the capacity of the community.

Reduction of Health Disparities

Tall Oaks’ proposed plan is to reduce the gap in health care services and the quality of these services to the community. It mainly focuses on protection, including immunization and counseling. Tall Oaks guarantees that the recipients have an opportunity to get basic needs such as food, shelter, and medication on time. People with health complications get handled in culturally sensitive ways that also include members of the community (Raker, et al., 2020). The DRP for Tall Oaks thus prioritizes the resolution of social needs, resource deficits, and infrastructure for improving healthcare needs and equity.

Education of the community is crucial in managing health differences and enhancing the health services in Tall Oaks. Community education prepares the people of the community to receive information about how to handle emergencies and basic health practices to safeguard their lives. The lives of people living in the distant parts of the Tall Oaks community have been made safer by this strategy, which creates better infrastructure and an efficient warning system (Raker et al., 2020). The Tall Oaks DRP reduces health disparities and enhances community preparedness by improving access to such essential commodities as water, food, shelter, and health care services by embracing a community-engaged approach.

Social Equity and Cultural Understanding

Community equity plays a vital role in Tall Oak’s ability to withstand disasters. Various factors, including financial resources, availability of essential supplies, and social support networks, shape it. Social standards, beliefs, and practices effect the community’s apparent risks and reactions to emergencies. The DRP for Tall Oaks emphasizes social justice by focusing on the equitable distribution of resources and addressing health differences to promote health fairness (Raker et al., 2020). The plan ensures that substitutes are personalized to the specific needs of the Tall Oaks population by incorporating diverse cultural backgrounds, including traditional healing practices and language preferences. By leveraging social media, cultural traditions, and local knowledge, the community enhances its resilience and awareness during the flood recovery process. The Tall Oaks community actively engages in decision-making and planning to improve the long-term safety and well-being of its residents. 

Effect of Governmental and Health Policies

Health policy initiatives play an essential role in exploring the causes of flooding. These strategies and regulations guide the allocation of resources to address health issues arising from floods, ensuring that additional medical care meets the unique needs of Tall Oaks residents. Significant components include advancements in medical technology through research and the promotion of remote work options to reduce exposure risks. Disaster preparedness initiatives and sufficient funding for healthcare facilities in Tall Oaks are critical for developing effective strategies to tackle community challenges. These actions enable healthcare systems to create safe environments, particularly for the most vulnerable populations.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) & Stafford Act

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) plays a crucial and central role in the recovery efforts following the flood in Tall Oaks. It offers extensive support to both the community and local government. A key component of FEMA’s involvement is the provision of financial assistance, including grants for households impacted by the flood. These funds address a variety of needs, such as shelter and other expenses related to the flooding. Additionally, FEMA oversees public aid, which is a vital initiative that allocates resources to government entities at both state and local levels and certain private non-profit organizations. This assistance program is designed to help repair, replace, and restore public infrastructure damaged by the flood, including essential facilities like schools and roads (Choi et al., 2024).

The Stafford Act is important in disaster management in Tall Oaks, providing FEMA with the legal framework necessary to coordinate support and assistance for state and local governments during flood events. It focuses on repairing public infrastructure and providing financial aid to individuals and families affected by the disaster (Choi et al., 2024). The Stafford Act serves as a cornerstone for collaborative initiatives among federal, state, and local agencies working together to create a more resilient future. This legislation enables the deployment of federal funds and resources to support relief efforts in Tall Oaks. 

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) plays a vital role in bolstering disaster preparedness, enhancing infrastructure, and addressing climate-related hazards in the United States. Established to tackle the challenges associated with flooding, the NFIP acts as a financial safety net for property owners and communities (Peralta & Scott, 2023). The insurance funds are intended to facilitate the recovery and rebuilding efforts in the Tall Oaks community, easing financial burdens. By providing flood insurance, the NFIP helps to lessen the economic impact of damages incurred by floods on residences and businesses. Property owners participating in the NFIP are required to obtain flood insurance if their properties lie within high-risk flood areas, promoting a proactive approach to managing risk (Peralta & Scott, 2023).

Healthy People 2030

Healthy People 2030 represents an extensive initiative in the U.S aimed at setting national objectives to improve population health during flood-related disasters. This program provides a structured approach for identifying specific, quantifiable health goals and objectives related to various health determinants such as access to food and nutrition. Its interdisciplinary and collaborative strategies are crucial for achieving health equity and improving health outcomes in Tall Oaks. The guidelines of Healthy People 2030 support nurses in promoting awareness campaigns focused on flood management within the community (Kleinman et al., 2021).

The Logical Policy Implications

The rational implications of these initiatives demand a unified and interdisciplinary approach to disaster management in Tall Oaks. Health policy measures address the fundamental causes of flooding while emphasizing the need for tailored medical services for the local population. FEMA, empowered by the Stafford Act, plays a critical role in delivering financial aid and coordinating assistance (Choi et al., 2024). The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) promotes economic recovery by providing insurance funds to those affected. Meanwhile, Healthy People 2030 outlines national health goals, with a strong emphasis on achieving health equity.

These policies highlight the importance of collaborative efforts, thorough disaster preparedness, and effective risk management strategies to build resilient and healthier communities (Peralta & Scott, 2023). Healthy People 2030 serves as a guiding framework for improving health outcomes following flooding events, with a focus on promoting health equity and strengthening community resilience. Additionally, FEMA offers vital support and financial resources to assist Tall Oaks in its recovery and infrastructure rebuilding initiatives.

Evidence-Based Strategies to Overcome Communication Barriers

Communication barriers are solved by good strategies, including community engagement, technology, operational plans, and education. Understanding the need to support communication that honors the Tall Oaks community’s resources, language, and practices must start locally. This approach ensures that the right information gets to the residents of the community (Kankanamge et al., 2020). In this case, interprofessional teams use open language with the community to enhance communication. By making it easy to communicate they foster cooperation and improve resilience in the face of adversity.

Participation in communication can be improved by conducting workshops at the Tall Oak Medical Center and the use of modern technology in communication. Through the use of information technology, the center can pass on actual and timely information through social media and mobile applications as well as other digital mediums. The staff of Tall Oaks involves people from different fields, and they use technology, such as SNS, to disseminate information quickly and respond to the needs of the community. They involve themselves in conducting seminars and community meetings as a measure of dealing with recovery strategies in the fight against the healthcare system. The tackled team pays much attention to disaster preparedness and specific evacuation procedures for endangered groups (Kankanamge et al., 2020).

Implications and Potential Consequences

A diverse team in Tall Oaks Medical Center increases coordination in flood recovery by using several means of communication. The team also develops the core of the idea and includes the concept of cultural diversity to improve the knowledge. These include community meetings, the use of graphics and other graphical information, and leadership training. New features, along with the feedback surveys, make the changes frequent and make sure that the community requirements are being met all the time. Improved maintenance increases the health of the public and prepares society for future calamities (Choi et al., 2024). 

Lack of effective communication between members of interdisciplinary teams has negative consequences and poses a threat to the population’s health. When infrastructure is not maintained, future flood risks to communities arise, which leads to social injustices. Proper strategic planning plays an important role in ensuring efficient and fast response during flood operations. Lack of communication between the interdisciplinary team at Tall Oaks Medical Center can worsen social inequalities and harm the health of the community and its ability to cope with future floods. These challenges slow down the speed of recovery projects and hamper the community’s ability to respond to new needs and risks (Kankanamge et al., 2020).

Conclusion

This paper focuses on the Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) for Tall Oaks Medical Center and healthcare disparities after a flood disaster. The plan highlights community safety and resilience, and the mobilization, assessment, planning, implementation, and tracking (MAP-IT) model uses an interprofessional approach. The goal is to improve resource availability, decrease health disparities, and increase community equality by raising awareness and using culturally appropriate strategies, with the backing of governmental legislation and FEMA.

References

Capella University. (n.d.). Disaster recovery plan. capella.edu.  https://www.capella.edu/ 

Choi, J., Diffenbaugh, N. S., & Burke, M. (2024). The effect of flood exposure on insurance adoption among US households. Earth S Future, 12(7). https://doi.org/10.1029/2023ef004110

Han, Z., & Sharif, H. O. (2021). Analysis of flood fatalities in the United States, 1959–2019. Water, 13(13), 1871. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13131871

Kankanamge, N., Yigitcanlar, T., Goonetilleke, A., & Kamruzzaman, Md. (2020). Determining disaster severity through social media analysis: Testing the methodology with South East Queensland Flood tweets. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 42, 101360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101360

NURS FPX 4060 Assessment 3 Disaster Recovery Plan

Kharb, A., Bhandari, S., Moitinho de Almeida, M., Castro Delgado, R., Arcos González, P., & Tubeuf, S. (2022). Valuing human impact of natural disasters: A review of methods. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(18), 11486. https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fijerph191811486

Kleinman, D. V., Pronk, N., Gómez, C. A., Wrenn Gordon, G. L., Ochiai, E., Blakey, C., Johnson, A., & Brewer, K. H. (2021). Addressing health equity and social determinants of health through healthy people 2030. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 27(6), 249–257. https://doi.org/10.1097/phh.0000000000001297

Peek, L., & Guikema, S. (2021). Interdisciplinary theory, methods, and approaches for hazards and disaster research: An introduction to the special issue. Risk Analysis, 41(7), 1047–1058. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.13777

Peralta, A., & Scott, J. (2023). Does the National Flood Insurance Program drive migration to higher risk areas? Harvard Dataverse, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.7910/dvn/fkx6zw

Raker, E. J., Arcaya, M. C., Lowe, S. R., Zacher, M., Rhodes, J., & Waters, M. C. (2020). Mitigating health disparities after natural disasters: Lessons from the RISK project. Health Affairs, 39(12), 2128–2135. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01161

NURS FPX 4060 Assessment 3 Disaster Recovery Plan

Sardjono, W., Perdana, W. G., & Putra, G. R. (2024). Disaster recovery plan implementation evaluation model at the corporation. Procedia Computer Science, 234, 1658–1663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2024.03.170