Emergency Preparedness through Community Cohesion

Emergency Preparedness through Community Cohesion

Author: Jean Parker

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-04-08

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 0429805535

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This book is a revision of the author’s original doctoral thesis on emergency preparedness through community radio in North Indian villages into a widening array of possible reapplications in other community development fields. The author expands on the process of transforming emergency preparedness education through community media in rural North India and applies this to the development of community-prosperity, defined simply as human and planetary well-being, anywhere in the world. A new theoretical framework is presented which combines the pivotal Integral Worlds Approach developed by Lessem and Schieffer with Critical Theory, thus exploring a new way to envision and implement social change, leading to innovation and social transformation. This book introduces the term "constructive resilience," which is a type of community-building that occurs alongside dominant societal structures that are either oppressive or ineffective. An evolving field of study and practice, it is emerging from the work of academics and community-builders who are members of the Bahá’í Faith. Bahá’í "consultation," a process of inquiry and decision-making, is offered as a systematic and effective method of defining problems and enacting solutions and is examined in the context of emergency preparedness education and local capacity-building. With its integral development approach, its unique combination of themes and theoretical components, and integration with the Bahá’í Faith, as well as its interdisciplinary nature, this book will be invaluable reading for researchers in many fields. It will be of particular interest in university-based training programs in disaster management and the various disciplines of international community development, as well as practitioners in the areas of micro enterprise, disaster management, community development, rural communications, rural economics and emergency preparedness education.


Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters

Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2015-09-10

Total Pages: 532

ISBN-13: 0309316227

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In the devastation that follows a major disaster, there is a need for multiple sectors to unite and devote new resources to support the rebuilding of infrastructure, the provision of health and social services, the restoration of care delivery systems, and other critical recovery needs. In some cases, billions of dollars from public, private and charitable sources are invested to help communities recover. National rhetoric often characterizes these efforts as a "return to normal." But for many American communities, pre-disaster conditions are far from optimal. Large segments of the U.S. population suffer from preventable health problems, experience inequitable access to services, and rely on overburdened health systems. A return to pre-event conditions in such cases may be short-sighted given the high costs - both economic and social - of poor health. Instead, it is important to understand that the disaster recovery process offers a series of unique and valuable opportunities to improve on the status quo. Capitalizing on these opportunities can advance the long-term health, resilience, and sustainability of communities - thereby better preparing them for future challenges. Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters identifies and recommends recovery practices and novel programs most likely to impact overall community public health and contribute to resiliency for future incidents. This book makes the case that disaster recovery should be guided by a healthy community vision, where health considerations are integrated into all aspects of recovery planning before and after a disaster, and funding streams are leveraged in a coordinated manner and applied to health improvement priorities in order to meet human recovery needs and create healthy built and natural environments. The conceptual framework presented in Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters lays the groundwork to achieve this goal and provides operational guidance for multiple sectors involved in community planning and disaster recovery. Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters calls for actions at multiple levels to facilitate recovery strategies that optimize community health. With a shared healthy community vision, strategic planning that prioritizes health, and coordinated implementation, disaster recovery can result in a communities that are healthier, more livable places for current and future generations to grow and thrive - communities that are better prepared for future adversities.


Building Community Resilience to Disasters

Building Community Resilience to Disasters

Author: Anita Chandra

Publisher: Rand Corporation

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 104

ISBN-13: 0833052098

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Community resilience, or the sustained ability of a community to withstand and recover from adversity has become a key policy issue at federal, state, and local levels, including in the National Health Security Strategy. Because resources are limited in the wake of an emergency, it is increasingly recognized that resilience is critical to a community's ability to reduce long recovery periods after an emergency. This report provides a roadmap for federal, state, and local leaders who are developing plans to enhance community resilience for health security threats and describes options for building community resilience in key areas. Based on findings from a literature review and a series of community and regional focus groups, the authors provide a definition of community resilience in the context of national health security and a set of eight levers and five core components for building resilience. They then describe suggested activities that communities are pursuing and may want to strengthen for community resilience, and they identify challenges to implementation.


Emergency Preparedness through Community Cohesion

Emergency Preparedness through Community Cohesion

Author: Jean Parker

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-04-08

Total Pages: 201

ISBN-13: 0429805527

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This book is a revision of the author’s original doctoral thesis on emergency preparedness through community radio in North Indian villages into a widening array of possible reapplications in other community development fields. The author expands on the process of transforming emergency preparedness education through community media in rural North India and applies this to the development of community-prosperity, defined simply as human and planetary well-being, anywhere in the world. A new theoretical framework is presented which combines the pivotal Integral Worlds Approach developed by Lessem and Schieffer with Critical Theory, thus exploring a new way to envision and implement social change, leading to innovation and social transformation. This book introduces the term "constructive resilience," which is a type of community-building that occurs alongside dominant societal structures that are either oppressive or ineffective. An evolving field of study and practice, it is emerging from the work of academics and community-builders who are members of the Bahá’í Faith. Bahá’í "consultation," a process of inquiry and decision-making, is offered as a systematic and effective method of defining problems and enacting solutions and is examined in the context of emergency preparedness education and local capacity-building. With its integral development approach, its unique combination of themes and theoretical components, and integration with the Bahá’í Faith, as well as its interdisciplinary nature, this book will be invaluable reading for researchers in many fields. It will be of particular interest in university-based training programs in disaster management and the various disciplines of international community development, as well as practitioners in the areas of micro enterprise, disaster management, community development, rural communications, rural economics and emergency preparedness education.


Building Resilience

Building Resilience

Author: Daniel P. Aldrich

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2012-08-15

Total Pages: 246

ISBN-13: 0226012891

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The factor that makes some communities rebound quickly from disasters while others fall apart: “A fascinating book on an important topic.”—E.L. Hirsch, in Choice Each year, natural disasters threaten the strength and stability of communities worldwide. Yet responses to the challenges of recovery vary greatly and in ways that aren’t explained by the magnitude of the catastrophe or the amount of aid provided by national governments or the international community. The difference between resilience and disrepair, as Daniel P. Aldrich shows, lies in the depth of communities’ social capital. Building Resilience highlights the critical role of social capital in the ability of a community to withstand disaster and rebuild both the infrastructure and the ties that are at the foundation of any community. Aldrich examines the post-disaster responses of four distinct communities—Tokyo following the 1923 earthquake, Kobe after the 1995 earthquake, Tamil Nadu after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, and New Orleans post-Katrina—and finds that those with robust social networks were better able to coordinate recovery. In addition to quickly disseminating information and financial and physical assistance, communities with an abundance of social capital were able to minimize the migration of people and valuable resources out of the area. With governments increasingly overstretched and natural disasters likely to increase in frequency and intensity, a thorough understanding of what contributes to efficient reconstruction is more important than ever. Building Resilience underscores a critical component of an effective response.


Slum Health

Slum Health

Author: Jason Corburn

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2016-06-07

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 0520962796

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Urban slum dwellers—especially in emerging-economy countries—are often poor, live in squalor, and suffer unnecessarily from disease, disability, premature death, and reduced life expectancy. Yet living in a city can and should be healthy. Slum Health exposes how and why slums can be unhealthy; reveals that not all slums are equal in terms of the hazards and health issues faced by residents; and suggests how slum dwellers, scientists, and social movements can come together to make slum life safer, more just, and healthier. Editors Jason Corburn and Lee Riley argue that valuing both new biologic and “street” science—professional and lay knowledge—is crucial for improving the well-being of the millions of urban poor living in slums.


Defining and Measuring Social Cohesion

Defining and Measuring Social Cohesion

Author: Jane Jenson

Publisher: Commonwealth Secretariat

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 48

ISBN-13: 9781849290234

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Examines the literature on social cohesion. Presentsa range of indicators that have been used to measure social cohesion.


Resilience in Social, Cultural and Political Spheres

Resilience in Social, Cultural and Political Spheres

Author: Benjamin Rampp

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-02-12

Total Pages: 341

ISBN-13: 3658153296

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​Resilience is one of the most important concepts in contemporary sociology. This volume offers a broad overview over the different theories and concepts of this category focusing on the cultural and political aspects of resilience.


Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

Author: John A. Toner, PhD

Publisher: Springer Publishing Company

Published: 2010-04-01

Total Pages: 449

ISBN-13: 0826122221

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"Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness significantly contributes to the somewhat limited literature available on this topic." --The Gerontologist "This is a must-read book for clinicians, service providers, policy makers, program planners, and teachers in the fields of mental health, aging, and emergency preparedness." From the Foreword by Robert N. Butler, MD This book provides a comprehensive overview of the essential information that everyone working, or hoping to work in the field of aging, should know about disasters, emergencies, and their effects on the mental health and well-being of older persons. It provides the reader with evidence-based approaches for identifying and classifying mental health problems, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, and substance use disorders in older adults, which may occur during and post disasters/emergencies. Specific attention is given to the special needs and approaches to the care of at-risk groups of older persons such as veterans and holocaust survivors; older adults who are isolated, dependent, have mobility problems, communication deficits, are cognitively impaired, or have other co-morbidities; elders who use meals-on-wheels, vital medications, or home care; or older persons who are in senior centers, nursing homes, or assisted living settings. Key Features Increases understanding of the mental health issues in older adults Provides tools that can foster resiliency and recovery at the community, group, and individual levels Influences the development of positive responses to disasters that can potentially minimize adverse mental and physical outcomes in older persons and maximize individual and group recovery


Social Capital and Health

Social Capital and Health

Author: Ichiro Kawachi

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 295

ISBN-13: 0387713107

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As interest in social capital has grown over the past decade—particularly in public health —so has the lack of consensus on exactly what it is and what makes it worth studying. Ichiro Kawachi, a widely respected leader in the field, and 21 contributors (including physicians, economists, and public health experts) discuss the theoretical origins of social capital, the strengths and limitations of current methodologies of measuring it, and salient examples of social capital concepts informing public health practice. Among the highlights: Measurement methods: survey, sociometric, ethnographic, experimental The relationship between social capital and physical health and health behaviors: smoking, substance abuse, physical activity, sexual activity Social capital and mental health: early findings Social capital and the aging community Social capital and disaster preparedness Social Capital and Health is certain to inspire a new generation of research on this topic, and will be of interest to researchers and advanced students in public health, health behavior, and social epidemiology.