United front: Emergency management managers, public health, and infection prevention.

Abstract

Introduction: Response to infectious diseases-related events may present a challenge to cooperative disaster management and emergency preparedness strategies. The primary objective of this investigation was to identify areas of strength and areas needing improvement in emergency management (EM) coordination between public health (PH) and infection prevention (IP) officials during disasters. A secondary objective was to evaluate education and training among EM, PH, and IP as they relate to increasing the number of mutually supportive relationships.

Methods: An eight-question survey was conducted among individuals working in New Jersey with responsibilities in PH, EM, and IP to identify themes and the current state of collaboration.

Results: The results of this survey suggested that more dedicated personnel in EM are needed for effective health system disaster planning.

Conclusion: Stronger disaster response action plans can only be achieved through improvements in collaboration among stakeholders in EM, PH, and IP. These partnerships are essential to control disease transmission and protect the public from preventable harm.