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Linking Public Health and the Emergency Care Community: 7 Model Communities

Address correspondence and reprint requests to E. Brooke Lerner, PhD, Department of Emergency Medicine; Medical College of Wisconsin; 9200 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53226 (e-mail: EBLerner{at}mcw.edu).

Public health and the emergency care community must work together to effectively achieve a state of community-wide disaster preparedness. The identification of model communities with good working relationships between their emergency care community and public health agencies may provide useful information on establishing and strengthening relationships in other communities. Seven model communities were identified: Boston, Massachusetts; Clark County, Nevada; Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Erie County, New York; Louisville, Kentucky; Livingston County, New York; and Monroe County, New York. This article describes these communities and provides a summary of common findings. Specifically, we recommend that communities foster respectful working relationships between agency leaders, hold regular face-to-face meetings, educate each other on their expertise and roles during a disaster, develop response plans together, work together on a day-to-day basis, identify and encourage a leader to facilitate these relationships, and share resources.

Key Words: terrorism • disaster preparedness • public health • trauma • injury • emergency medical services