Low-frequency, high-acuity emergency events can and do occur within health care settings. Having a strong sense of daily situational and operational awareness is the first step in responding to any emergency event. To maintain high reliability, hospital leaders and staff must understand the full impact to the organization as the emergency event evolves. The Medical University of South Carolina health system has implemented the common practice of a daily operations safety briefing, called the Daily Check-In, to communicate any issues that could impact the operational ability of the hospitals within the enterprise, or any other associated resources during a disaster or emergency. Throughout various emergency events, including extreme weather, the Daily Check-In has evolved as a standard process for use during emergencies that is open to all staff and uses highly reliable systems.

Over the past decade, the World Health Summit (WHS) has provided a global platform for policy-makers and decision-makers to interact with academics and practitioners on global health. Recently the WHS adopted health security into their agenda for transnational disease risks (eg, Ebola and antimicrobial resistance) that increasingly threaten multiple sectors. Global health engagement (GHE) focuses efforts across interdisciplinary and interorganizational lines to identify critical threats and provide rapid deployment of key resources at the right time for addressing health security risks. As a product of subject matter experts convening at the WHS, a special side-group has organically risen with leadership and coordination from the German Institute for Defense and Strategic Studies in support of GHE activities across governmental, academic, and industry partners. Through novel approaches and targeted methodology that maximize outcomes and streamline global health operational process, the Global Health Security Alliance (GloHSA) was born. This short conference report describes in more detail the GloHSA.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency prescribes a 48-h timeline between the declaration of an emergency and the treatment of the last person with Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) medical countermeasures (MCM). Many states struggle to meet the 48-h window. Issues surrounding adequate staffing, critical to maintaining necessary Points Of Dispensing (POD) throughput, are noted in the literature. The use of public and private partnerships in the health-care sector may improve POD throughput. This study describes a novel strategy for partnering with home health agencies (HHAs) to augment MCM distribution. The HHA In-Home Dispensing Model we propose authorizes HHAs to act as Closed PODs following a head of household model. Here, we evaluate the effectiveness of the model using a case study. First, we provide an overview of the methods used to estimate the duration of in-home nurse dispensing shifts. We then present the results for our case study area. Next, we discuss how the model can be used and its limitations. We conclude that the HHA In-Home SNS Dispensing Model shows promise and should receive further consideration, as it can decrease demand at open PODs and increase the reach of MCMs to vulnerable populations who might otherwise have difficulty receiving them.

Preparation is key to dealing with the rising number of disasters occurring globally. Teams may be inexperienced, but they cannot be inadequately prepared. Rescue providers must be equipped with knowledge, skills, equipment, and supplies to manage the complex demands of a disaster. To bridge the gaps in disaster management training, the Singapore Health Services, in collaboration with the University of Hasanuddin, developed a tailored training program for the teaching of medical support at the disaster site in Indonesia. This project was conducted in Makassar for participants in the province of South Sulawesi. Over the 2-year period, the project benefitted 301 participants, with 73 identified to become Master Trainers to take over local ownership and leadership of the program. The Master Trainers would continue the training of new participants, as well as work within their agencies and with each other to bring about changes to significantly improve disaster management in Indonesia.

The deliberate use of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) materials in war or terrorist attacks is perceived as a great threat globally. In the event of a release of CBRN agents, protection by means of medical countermeasures (MedCMs) could reduce health vulnerability. Nonetheless, for some diseases caused by these agents, innovative MedCMs do not exist and many of those that do might not be readily available. Inappropriate research and development funding and government procurement efforts can result in adverse economic consequences (eg, lost income, cost per loss of life, medical expenses) far exceeding the costs of strong and comprehensive preparedness initiatives. By illustrating factors of demand-side rationale for CBRN MedCMs, this article aims to strengthen integrity of policy-making associated with current demand requirements. Namely, an approach to inspire broader assessment is outlined by compiling and adapting existing economic models and concepts to characterize both soft and hard factors that influence demand-side rationale. First, the soft factor context is set by describing the impact of behavioral and political economics. Then, lessons learned from past public health funding models and associated collaborative access infrastructure are depicted to represent hard factors that can enhance the viability of MedCM preparedness evaluations.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected over 1.5 million individuals and led to over 91, 000 deaths in the United States (US) alone as of May 20th, 2020. Minority populations, however, continue to be a high-risk population to contract the SARS-CoV-2 infection. While socioeconomic inequality may help to explain why minority ethnic populations are contracting the SARS-CoV-2 in larger proportions, the reason for elevated mortality rates in African Americans is still unknown. African Americans are less likely than whites to utilize high-quality hospitals, ambulatory care services, and regular primary care providers; this is most likely a result of barriers to accessing high quality treatment, as African Americans have substantially higher uninsured rates. However, previous reports have shown that regardless of insurance status, African Americans are more likely to be directed toward lower quality treatment plans compared to their white counterparts, and that physicians carry implicit biases that negatively impact treatment regimens for these minority populations. While income, education, and access to healthcare should be revised in due time, in the short term physicians should do everything possible to learn about implicit biases that may exist in healthcare, as the first step to minimize implicit biases is to recognize that they exist.

With the ongoing coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, SARS-CoV-2), the entire community of health professionals is working to control disease and investing crores in vaccine development. The present discussion is to bring the focus on various social issues that emerge during outbreak and calls for equal attention as that of other health-care interventions. These issues are summarized in three categories: first, stigmatization due to lack of knowledge about the source of infection; second, speculations and their consequences around lack of knowledge about transmission; and finally, the concern regarding miscommunication during such a crisis. Most of these concerns emerge from press and social media coverage of the episode. The Ebola outbreak response is an example of how social scientists and anthropologists can work with other experts to solve questions of public health importance. Their approach toward the community with the objective to understand the sources, reasons, and circumstances of the infection will help to manage the current outbreak. In this context, we suggest collaboration of diverse scientific community to control and sensitize the people to tackle the misinformation in the affected and non-affected community during the outbreaks.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) started to occur in South Korea by means of inflow of the virus from abroad, when a case from Wuhan, China, was first confirmed on January 19, 2020. Although South Korea has drastically reduced the number of new confirmed cases and is stabilizing the situation with its exemplary disease prevention policies, there remains a problem. These are cases that had shown negative results to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (gene amplification) tests as the COVID-19 virus had become undetectable but turned re-positive after a short period. The Central Clinical Committee determined that these re-positive cases after COVID-19 viral clearance are due to the limits of the test method; it is considered that the genetic material of the “dead virus” remaining in a recovered patient’s body is amplified during the test process. Comprehending the above evidence, re-positive cases of COVID-19 are not infectious; the virus is not even reactivated. However, further research is required as we lack research results on this subject. Until we can be sure, social distancing and other such policies should be maintained.

Radiology departments have been directly involved from the beginning of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emergency to provide imaging lung assessment of suspected and positive patients while ensuring the execution of other routine and emergency examinations for non-COVID-19 patients. To limit the risk of the infection spread, radiology departments should be reconfigured. We propose the example of the reorganization of the Radiology Department of our hospital, in the center of Milan, in Northern Italy, which consisted of the creation of 2 completely distinct pathways and distinct radiological machines for COVID-19 positive or suspected positive and for non-COVID-19 patients.

In response to the rapid spread of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), health-care systems should establish procedures for early recognition and management of suspected or confirmed cases. We describe the various steps taken for the development, implementation, and dissemination of the interdisciplinary COVID-19 protocol at Jackson Health System (JHS), a complex tertiary academic health system in Miami, Florida. Recognizing the dynamic nature of COVID-19, the protocol addresses the potential investigational treatment options and considerations for special populations. The protocol also includes infection prevention and control measures and routine care for suspected or proven COVID-19 patients.

In December, 2019, an infectious outbreak of unknown cause occurred in Wuhan, which attracted intense attention. Shortly after the virus was identified as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) broke out, and an information storm occurred. At that time, 2 important aspects, that is, the stages of spread and the components of the epidemic, were unclear. Answers to the questions (1) what are the sources, (2) how do infections occur, and (3) who will be affected should be clarified as the outbreak continues to evolve. Furthermore, components of the epidemic and the stages of spread should be explored and discussed. Based on information of SARS, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and COVID-19, the components of the epidemic (the sources, the routes of infection, and the susceptible population) will be discussed, as well as the role of natural and social factors involved. Epidemiologic characteristics of patients will be traced based on current information.

On Tuesday, March 17, 2020, at noon, France became the third European country to impose a nationwide containment policy in the fight against epidemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) viral infection. Announcing that the country was at “war,” President Macron called upon all to play a role in mitigating against further development of contagion. This extreme measure never seen before during peace time was the result of adapting not only the French Pandemic Influenza Plan (PIP) being applied to the national context but also real-time clinical, epidemiological, and scientific information about the evolution of COVID-19 infection in the country. The situation was further complicated by local municipal elections and political agendas by populist opinions. Despite mass communication about the importance of individual behavioral attitudes to counter disease propagation, few heeded government advice. Consequently, the situation rapidly deteriorated with increasing number of cases that started to overwhelm health services. As a result, decisive and immediate action was taken by the State for the national public health interest. This report from the field details the timely events that contributed to this extreme policy decision taken by France. A policy decision that other Western democracies have since applied as the pandemic disseminated across the globe.