Mahshid Abir
New resources should be devoted to the lifesaving work of local emergency departments—especially those in locations at high risk for man-made or natural events—if they are to maintain their role as part of America's health care critical infrastructure.
Emergency departments are on the front line of the nation's response to mass-casualty incidents, disasters, and public health emergencies. They respond to unanticipated events, such as terrorist attacks and mass shootings; weather-related events, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and heat waves, that may occur with some advance notice; and more protracted incidents, such as epidemics and pandemics.
As demonstrated by an ongoing RAND study focused on identifying strategies to sustain emergency care in the United States, emergency department providers often view response to mass-casualty incidents and disasters as something they “just do”—recognizing that this function is often conducted without sustained funding and resources.
Yet, in order to sustain their role as part of America's critical infrastructure, emergency departments need adequate resources, they need to be systematically incorporated into local, state, and regional disaster networks, and they need to be treated as key partners in disaster planning alongside emergency management, law enforcement, and national security entities at all levels of government.
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