Emergency Preparedness and Public Health: What Can Psychologists Do? presented by Evangeline Franklin, M.D., M.P.H.

May 19, 2024

ACHIEVING AND MAINTAINING RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF DISASTER

 Evangeline Franklin MD, MPH

 Workshop Level:

 All Levels for Practicing Psychologists in Any Location of Practice

 Program Description:

Emergencies are an accepted part of daily life and there are institutional structures of various kinds in every community which are coordinated to respond to them. However, some infrequently occurring disasters create challenges for which response requirements become more complex. The resilience of a community and its members depends on how quickly and flexibly plans can be executed as effective interventions. This resilience is also a function of understanding the daily requirements of each of the community’s individual members and determining if there is(are) the capability(s) necessary to achieve the most effective intervention and best outcome.

This generic description can be applied to any situation caused by many kinds of hazards. We will explore some examples that apply to the patients, families, friends and colleagues of practicing psychologists in a variety of settings and under various emergency/disaster circumstances using some specific examples. We will also assess each community’s existing emergency and disaster management and recovery infrastructure to assure its resilience.

Learning Objectives:  After completing this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand and participate in the planning and response to a variety of notice all-hazards emergency situations.
• Recognize the need for and establish plan ‘guidelines’ and participate in exercises to ensure safety and resilience within their communities.
• Contribute to the community’s resilience including patients, colleagues, family members and bystanders.

About the Presenter

Dr. Evangeline Franklin went to Princeton University and Yale University Schools of Medicine and Public Health. She is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Baltimore, College of Public Affairs, School of Health and Human Services where she teaches Emergency Preparedness and Management (EP&M) to potential non-medical managers working in public settings whose responsibilities will include emergency management functions. Her focus on EP&M education developed after working in response and recovery activities due to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, August 5, 2005. As the newly hired Director of Clinical Services for the New Orleans Health Department, she served as the Medical Director of the Special Needs Shelter in the Superdome during Katrina having had NO TRAINING in EP&M. She developed the Emergency Operations Plan for the New Orleans Health Department, worked with AMTRAK on rail evacuation planning, participated with New Orleans Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Office (NOHSEP) and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) of the state of Louisiana in various planning and exercises including the mass distribution of prophylactic antibiotics in the event of an anthrax terrorist attack and directed an outreach city-wide program to register and assess handicapped and homebound citizens who would require evacuation assistance during hurricane season. She has received training from FEMA and has taught many workshops and courses in particular ‘Medical Aspects of Disasters’ in the Tulane University Homeland Security Studies Program.

Her career has spanned clinical practice as an internist; medical director for multi-site urgent care centers and the nursing advice call-center; administrative director for ancillary services (laboratory, radiology, ophthalmology and physical therapy services) and Occupational Medicine for UniversityMEDNET a large multispecialty physician practice in greater Cleveland, Ohio. She has also worked for Aetna and UnitedHealthcare as a local Medical Director interfacing with local physicians in LA, MS and AL, performed hospital utilization review functions and assessed requests for reversing denial of insurance coverage. In addition, she developed and piloted a program to identify patients in need of disease management from a claims-based administrative medical record. As an undergraduate she worked for the Navajo Health Authority in Window Rock, AZ. During medical school she did an elective in medicine at the Claremore Indian Hospital in Claremore, OK serving the Five Civilized Tribes Nations.

The execution of her responsibilities before and after Hurricane Katrina and her personal and professional experiences have informed her interest in and dedication to explaining how services and planning interact to make a community resilient. Her professional interests include teams and network science, local and international emergency/disaster management and humanitarian relief, military and civilian contributions to advancements of medical care and public health, and EP&M education to a broad variety of audiences. She suffers from Katrina-related PTSD and experienced a several year hiatus in her career to be the full-time care giver for her elderly parents. She is now an avid amateur historian using needlework and textiles as a starting point. She loves traveling (all 7 continents!), museums, classical music and dogs, who are some of her most cherished friends and colleagues.

Disclosures:  No conflicts of interest.

References:

• Math SB, Nirmala MC, Moirangthem S, Kumar NC. Disaster management: Mental health perspective. Indian J Psychol Med 2015 37:261-71.
• Pratiti R. An Ecological Approach to Disaster Mitigation: A Literature Review. Cureus 2023 15(9): e45500.  DOI 10.7759/cureus.45500
• Yun K, Lurie N, Hyde PS. Moving Mental Health into the Disaster-Preparedness Spotlight. NEJM 2010 363(13)
• Rutkow L, Vernick JS, Wissow LS, Kaufmann CN, Hodge, Jr LG Prescribing Authority During Emergencies Challenges for Mental Health Care Providers. J Leg Med 2011 July 32(3): 249–260. doi:10.1080/01947648.2011.600154
• Rutkow L, Vernick JS, Semon NL, Flowers A, Errett NA, Links JM Translating Legal Research on Mental and Behavioral Health During Emergencies for the Public Health Workforce Public Health Reports / 2014 Supplement 4 / Volume 129
• Hodge, Jr LG, Rutkow L, Corcoran AJ. Mental and Behavioral Health Legal Preparedness in Major Emergencies. Public Health Reports. 2010 Sept–Oct 125: 759-762.

APP is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. APP
maintains responsibility for this program and its content. For more information contact apponline.org.