Categories: General, Natural Disasters, Preparedness
October 15th, 2012 1:16 pm ET - Blog Administrator
By Regina Quadir
Imagine your dog starts barking and hides under a table right before an earthquake rattles your house. Is your dog psychic? The idea that animals can predict earthquakes and other natural disasters is not a new phenomenon. Scientists have been exploring this topic for years, investigating whether animals possess a sixth sense that allows them to predict natural disasters.
Categories: General
October 10th, 2012 1:06 pm ET - Blog Administrator
We know that mental health is essential to overall health and well-being (WHO, 2001). However, as you read this, about 1 in 5 youth in the United States currently experience a mental, emotional or behavioral disorder. About half of all children have experienced a mental health problem (Institute of Medicine (IOM), 2009).
Categories: General, Preparedness, Response
September 28th, 2012 12:54 pm ET - Blog Administrator
by Robert W. Block, MD, FAAP, President, American Academy of Pediatrics
@DrBobBlock on Twitter
Children are not just small adults; their growing minds and bodies have unique physical, physiological, developmental and mental health needs. These differences become especially apparent—and warrant increased attention and care—before, during and after a disaster strikes.
Categories: Anthrax, Disease Investigation, Disease Outbreak, Preparedness, Response
September 26th, 2012 10:14 am ET - Ali S. Khan
You can’t respond to threats if you don’t know what they are, which is one reason that laboratories play such an important role in public health. Public health laboratories have helped detect all kinds of threats to the public’s health; including anthrax, monkey pox, novel flu viruses, and foodborne disease outbreaks caused by germs like listeria.
Categories: General, Preparedness, Response
September 19th, 2012 10:31 am ET - Blog Administrator
Volunteering with the Medical Reserve Corps
One of the strongest threads woven into the fabric of American culture is that of volunteer service. When someone is in need, we ask what can be done to help. This is never more evident than during a time of disaster. As we recognize September as National Preparedness Month, it is important to note that being involved in preparing your community for disaster puts you in the best position to help during a disaster as well as insure your county, city, or town is able to quickly recover and regain its footing.
Categories: General, Natural Disasters
September 12th, 2012 1:07 pm ET - Blog Administrator
We’re pleased to welcome Tala Hooban from the Administration on Children and Families to Public Health Matters. Tala works in ACF’s Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response and understands the importance of keeping families safe and together during a disaster.
I was in high school when 9/11 happened and all I remember was the chaos that ensued after. I went to school in Northern Virginia, where many of the students’ parents worked in Washington D.C., including at the Pentagon. It was really sad to see how many students could not get ahold of their parents because phone lines were down; this is even before cell phones were a big deal. That was exactly the moment where a family emergency plan could have been helpful. If you can’t get a hold of your family during and after an emergency what do you do? Where do you meet if you are split up? How do you reach each other?
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