Running head: MODULE 4 ASSIGNMENT

Module 4 Assignment
Nina Rose Nicholson
MM120 Healthcare Information Systems
September 18, 2016

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Module 4 Assignment

1. How would you make sure that first responders are able to communicate with each other
and a command center in the event of a catastrophe?
We would use satellite communications for these were the go to communication for first
responders and the command center when the 2005 hurricane season took place, 9/11 attack and
other catastrophic events since then have happened. When the cellphone towers and broadcasting
networks went out, satellite communication remained online and helped connect first responders
and other emergency personnel. The satellite communication aided in reuniting families back
together. In many of the affected locations, it was the only source of communication following
the events. Satellite communications perform successfully when cell towers are damaged,
destroyed or overloaded. It provides broadcasting services over very wide areas such as a
country, region or entire hemisphere. Natural disasters or terrorist attacks occur. Satellites are
the best and most reliable platform for communications in such situationsfiber networks or
even terrestrial wireless can be disrupted by tsunamis, earthquakes, or hurricanes. Satellites are
instant infrastructure (First responders guide, 2008, page 6).
Satellite systems like SATELIFE PDAs are utilized for the gathering and distribution of
information, warnings, education, and so much more. It can convey information to health
workers where there are no land lines, electricity, or vie e-mail. This has been a useful for
developing countries such as Asia and Africa because of its interoperability (Burke & Weill,
2013, page 111).

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2. How can we prevent another Katrina-like catastrophe? Discuss the aftermath (death,
relocation, destruction) as well as the pre-Katrina crumbling infrastructure (levees)?
To prevent another Katrina-like catastrophe we need to learn from the mistakes we made
by having disaster drills, using satellite communications, and educating the public on better
preparedness when a catastrophic event occurs. The New Orleans flooding was the outcome of
over-engineering the Mississippi River, the flawed levee that was not repaired after the
simulation showed it would not hold up and lack of reactiveness of officials. A public health
action plan could have been prepared prior to the storm; evacuation plans; shelters stocked with
enough food, clean water, medications, vaccinations; plans to get all the people to shelters; and
plans to clean up and rebuild the city (Burke & Weill, 2013, page 114).
In 2004, in an exercise simulating a direct hit by a slow-moving category three hurricane
[using two different models], both models showed that the levees would not prevent flooding in
New Orleans (Burke & Weill, 2013, page 113). A report published in May 2006 found that the
levees failednot because the storm was so big, but because of problems in the way they were
designed, built and maintained (Burke & Weill, 2013, page 113).
The storm caused the most immense displacement of American residents in our history,
majority of them were poor, ill or old. The residents went down from a pre-Katrina 450,000 to
225,000. Thanksgiving 2006 saw three times as many victims in FEMA trailers (99,000) than
Thanksgiving 2005. This was the outcome of the lack of public health preparedness and planning
(Burke & Weill, 2013, page 115). Overall Katrina killed nearly 2,000 people (Hurricane katrina,
2009, paragraph 9).

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References

Burke, L., & Weill, B. (2013). Information technology for the health professions (4th ed.). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
First responder's guide to satellite communication. (2008, November 15). Retrieved September
18, 2016, from https://transition.fcc.gov/pshs/docsbasic/SIA_FirstRespondersGuide07.pdf
Hurricane Katrina (2009). History. Retrieved September 19, 2016, from
http://www.history.com/topics/hurricane-katrina