The State Health Departments as Part of the Department of Health and Human Services - Research Paper Example

Federal emergency management agency (FEMA) is a body created by the United States Department of Homeland security to help in coordinating the response to tragedies that occur in the United States. The tragedies must overwhelm the current state of resources within the local and the state authorities. In this case the respective governor of the state in which the tragedy has taken place must announce a state of emergency and officially make a request from the president that the agency and the overall federal state react to the tragedy. In the effort to contribute to the core functions of public health the agency gives local and state governments experts in specific fields and financing for reconstruction efforts. Moreover, the relief funds are also provided by the agency through encouraging individuals to acquire loans with low interest loan in cooperation with the small Business administration. Besides, FEMA avails funds for training of response staff in the United States and its boundaries which one of their vigilance effort. In its efforts to mitigate the disasters, FEMA has various programs that help in dealing with the tragedies before they occur. This is with the main objective of recognizing risks and minimizing injuries, loss of property and also reducing the time of recovery. Therefore, the agency conducts an evaluation of various programs such as programs for hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and dams. In addition, FEMA makes efforts to guarantee affordable insurance cover against floods for homeowners located in flood prone areas via the National Flood Insurance Program (Justin, 2006). As well, the agency makes effort to put in force the no-build zones in the identified flood prone plains and shuffle or bring to the fore some at- risk constructions. In emphasis of the mitigation programs by the agency, grants are provided or made available through the pre-Disaster Mitigation to help in acquiring assets for renovation to open room, retrofit the current structures, build up tornado and storm cover, administrate vegetation for control of erosion and fire and lastly for projects to mitigate small floods. Last but more important, there are incidences that require crisis counseling thus FEMA is handy in providing such services. For example, those who suffer grief in the process of recovering from the aftermath of floods and they need to go back to their destroyed homes, require services in restoring their mental sanity (Keith, 2002). Funds are granted to the victims to help in training them to prevent mental health atrocities as a result of the major tragedies. The main objective of the training is to add up to the current local and state government resources. Specific ways the FEMA agency influences the workplace (county hospital) as well as the health care system as a whole FEMA has a number of specific methods or mechanisms that might or influence the county hospital on top of the entire health care systems. Through the United States Department of health and Human Services FEMA offers help to the local and State communal service groups, the county hospitals and the State occupational rehabilitation groups to assist them in executing crisis health and hygiene measures after a tragedy. In addition, the agency provides food and drug administration which is through the collaboration of the state and local governments to help in establishing public health monitoring measures via refinement of denunciation of the polluted food and drugs. As mentioned earlier, the agency provides funds or grants to help in averting the health problems which would have otherwise been done by the county hospitals. In particular, two specific grants are provided; immediate services program and the regular services program. The immediate services program offers services such as test, analytical and counseling strategies on top of the outreach programs such as the social networking and the public information which are aimed at meeting the health necessities upon an occurrence of a disaster up to 60 days upon the declaration of the disaster. Regular services programs offer financing for disasters counseling, consultation, education services and community outreach to help victims of disasters only up to 9 months from the time of disaster declaration. The grants are offered by FEMA via institutions for Mental Health services and they normally executed by the state health departments as part of the department of health and human services. The county hospitals are offloaded the burden of giving these services but instead concentrate on the normal duties of providing universal health care to the county. Besides, the agency provides emergency services such as duties undertaken by the community prior, during or after disaster to help in saving lives, ensuring public health and security and averting destruction to developed public and individual assets. The public or the individuals affected by the disaster are also in a position to reduce the expenditure on medical bills upon the occurrence of a disaster given that FEMA agency has a variety of services they offer to the victims. This has an implication that health care is provided adequately to individuals who might not have had the capacity to obtain the services. This ensures adequate health care system to the public. The roles of FEMA Agency workers On the onset of a disaster the FEMA agency workers must be very vigilant in taking the necessary steps and precautions to help in mitigating the effects of the tragedy’s aftermath. Thus various roles accrue to the workers under the Agency to help in meeting the responsibilities entitled to them. First, through the office of disaster Field Office in the disaster area or location there is a coordinating field officer appointed by the main office. The officer has a duty to serve as the main person in directing and coordinating the various types of disaster functions in progress and maintaining the collaboration among other staffs and various agencies involved. He/she alerts the Emergency Response Team stationed in the area to execute the federal duty in offering the help needed. The coordinating officer then mobilizes the staff under him/her in carrying out the specified duties accorded to them. There is also a State coordinating officer who has similar roles and responsibilities as the Field coordinating officer. The officer conducts coordination of the state and local assistance efforts combined with those accorded by the federal state. The State coordinating officer acts as the fundamental point of reference for local and the state response and recovery operations. He/she ensure that the process of implementation of all the state disaster plans is well executed. He/she ensures adequate assistance is mobilized from the voluntary agencies which cam offer some form of assistance. This is done through meetings intended to find the best ways of executing help to the victims and assessing the impact of the disaster. The officer also ensures that prior relief coordination methods are put down, specifically the information of establishing and employing staff for the sites where the victims for the tragedies can obtain assistance (Peter, 1991). The two mentioned officers carry out a series of meetings as frequent as needed to help in setting objectives and priorities, identifying problems and documenting achievements. The staff or the workers must posses’ skills such as keen eye for identification and assessment of the specific problems which require urgent attention. They must be well experienced in the field of disaster management, rescue operations and first aid administration. The workers must also be well knowledgeable in matters relating to identification of the trauma victims and ways of preventing further injuries or property destruction. References Bea, Keith, (2002) "Proposed Transfer of FEMA to the Department of Homeland Security", Order Code RL31510, Report for Congress, Congressional Research Service: Library of Congress John Harrald (2006) in Agility and Discipline: Critical Success Factors for Disaster Response, The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science; 604; 256 Murry, Justin (updated July 10, 2006). "Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Legislation for Tragedy Assistance: Summary Data FY1989 to FY2006", CRS Report for Congress, Congressional Research Service: The Library of Congress. Walker, Peter (1991). International Search and Rescue Teams, A League Discussion Paper. Geneva League of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Read More