Can Public Schools Serve as Communication Networks for Community Disaster Medical Preparedness and Recovery? A Review

• Date: 01 September 2011
• Published date: 01 September 2011
• Author: Carl H. Botan,Gary L. Kreps,Katherine Rowan
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.2202/1948-4682.1162

Volume 3, Issue 3 • 2011 • Article 6

Can Public Schools Serve as Communication Networks for

Community Disaster Medical Preparedness and Recovery? A

Review

Gary L. Kreps, George Mason University

Katherine Rowan, George Mason University

Carl H. Botan, George Mason University

Kreps, Gary L.; Rowan, Katherine; and Botan, Carl H. (2011) "Can Public Schools Serve as

Communication Networks for Community Disaster Medical Preparedness and Recovery? A Review,"

World Medical & Health Policy: Vol. 3: Iss. 3, Article 6.

Available at: http://www.psocommons.org/wmhp/vol3/iss3/art6

DOI: 10.2202/1948-4682.1162

©2011 Policy Studies Organization

Can Public Schools Serve as Communication

Networks for Community Disaster Medical

Preparedness and Recovery? A Review

Gary L. Kreps, George Mason University

Katherine Rowan, George Mason University

Carl H. Botan, George Mason University

Abstract

Objective

To assess the feasibility of using public schools as communication nodes in community

medical disaster preparedness and recovery.

Methods

To identify prior work, literature searches were conducted, primarily focusing on disaster

medical preparedness and public schools. The literature review focused on the preceding 17 years

of English language publications (1995 to April 2011). Major medical electronic data bases,

such as Medline (included PubMed), Cochrane Collaboration Library, Communication and Media

Complete, Wiley Online Library, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health

Literature) and U.S. states and federal government websites were queried, using MeSH terms.

Relevant government and disaster response organizations websites were prescreened for their

applicability to the research objectives. Based on established selection criteria, 33 publications and

materials were selected and evaluated using a qualitative rating scale.

Results

Adequate experimental or empirical information describing the incorporation of school

communication networks in the planning, recovery, and response for community medical disaster

was not found in the published literature. Information regarding individual school communication

and response plans were primarily located in websites, guidelines and documents published by

various agencies, including states, federal government and individual national or international

education agencies. This may suggest that, while many have found that their own programmatic

needs make it necessary for them to address the central question of this study, little systematic

scholarly review or exchange between experts has taken place to date. Therefore, this article may

help fill a longstanding need in the emergency medical planning and response community and,

by extension, even among state and federal EOP (Emergency Operations Plans) planners and

managers.

The crisis communications model, developed by the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, was applied to address communication networks used by schools and communities