Public Health Matters Blog

Sickle Cell Disease: Data Saves Lives

“One minute I’d be fine, the next minute I’d be in pain. It would just come out of nowhere,” says Tywan Willis. “I would have pain in my lower back, my shoulders, and sometimes in my legs. I can’t describe it. I just know it’s a really bad pain that I get.” Tywan has sickle Read More >

October 10, 2017 by Blog Administrator1 Comment

Public Health

genetic disorder, inherited blood disease, Los Angeles, Martin Luther King Jr Outpatient Center, patient care, SCD, Sickle Cell Data Collection Program, Sickle Cell Disease, surveillance

Get a Flu Shot to Protect Your Heart and Your Health

“When you have a chronic illness, you do everything you can to stay as healthy as you can, which includes getting a flu shot,” says Donnette Smith, president of the heart disease support network, Mended Hearts. Donnette leads Mended Hearts with a mission to inspire hope and improve the quality of life of heart patients, Read More >

October 3, 2017 by Blog Administrator5 Comments

Flu, Preparedness, Prevention/Vaccination, Public Health

Asthma, Blood disorders, Chronic lung disease, Endocrine disorders, Fight Flu, flu, flu shot, Flu Vaccine, Heart disease, Heart Health, Kidney disorders, Liver disorders, Metabolic disorders, Neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions, Super Flu Fighter, weakened immune system

The Power of Us

Evacuteer checking someone in during 2017 full-scale city assisted evacuation exercise.

“I am a Katrina survivor.” These were the first words out of Joan Ellen’s mouth when I spoke with her. And she was one of the lucky ones. She made it out of New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29, 2005. But not everyone was so fortunate. One of Joan Ellen’s neighbors Read More >

September 25, 2017 by Kali Rapp Roy, Executive Director, Evacuteer.orgLeave a comment

Natural Disasters, Preparedness, Preparedness Month, Response

#NatlPrep, city assisted evacuation, evacuation, Evacuspot, Evacuteer, Hurricane, mandatory evacuation, national preparedness month, NOLA, NPM2017, SHOW

Preparedness and Response in Action: Stories from the States

CDC’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement is a critical source of funding, guidance, and technical assistance for state, local, tribal, and territorial public health departments to strengthen their public health preparedness capabilities. Since 9/11, the PHEP program has saved lives by building and maintaining a nationwide public health emergency management system that enables Read More >

September 18, 2017 by Kelcie Landon, MPH1 Comment

Preparedness, Preparedness Month, Public Health, Response

Connecticut State Department of Health, emergency operations, Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oregon Health Authority, PHEP, Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program, State and Local Readiness, Washington

Preparing for the Worst-case Scenario

"ROTTERDAM, HOLLAND - SEPTEMBER 5, 2010: Demonstration of handling of car crash victim by medics at the annual World Harbor Days in Rotterdam, Holland on September 5"

Setting the Stage Imagine this: Explosions across New York City target elementary schools. Hundreds of severely injured and traumatized children, teachers, and parents flood hospital emergency departments in the five boroughs. Municipal emergency medical services (EMS) are rushing to respond. Fortunately this scenario wasn’t really happening – it was part of an exercise conducted on Read More >

September 12, 2017 by Celia Quinn, MD, MPH, CDC Career Epidemiology Field Officer assigned to NYC Department of Health and Mental HygieneLeave a comment

Preparedness, Preparedness Month, Public Health, Response

#NatlPrep, children, children’s preparedness, exercise, hospital preparedness, Hospital Preparedness Program, national preparedness month, New York City, NPM2017, Pediatric Exercise, PHEP, STEADY

Empowering Kids to Make Their Families Safer

American-Red-Cross-volunteer-with-pillowcase-in-Alaska_BLUR

After graduating from college I moved to Anchorage, Alaska for a year of post-graduate service through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps NW and AmeriCorps. I served as the Preparedness and Casework Specialist for the American Red Cross of Alaska. Though often overlooked, Alaska is the largest state in the country (more than twice as big as Read More >

September 5, 2017 by Sam Johnson, Red Cross Volunteer1 Comment

Natural Disasters, Preparedness, Preparedness Month

#endhomefires, #NatlPrep, children, children’s preparedness, disaster, Emergency kit, home fire safety, national preparedness month, NPM2017, Pillowcase Project, ready, red cross, sound the alarm

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