• Qi Zhi, Jacqueline A Merrill, and Robyn R Gershon.
• 1Phillip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies,School of Medicine,University of California,San Francisco,San Francisco,CaliforniaUSA.
• Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017 Dec 1; 32 (6): 596-603.

AbstractIntroduction Members of faith-based organizations (FBOs) are in a unique position to provide support and services to their local communities during disasters. Because of their close community ties and well-established trust, they can play an especially critical role in helping communities heal in the aftermath of a mass-fatality incident (MFI). Faith-based organizations are considered an important disaster resource and partner under the National Response Plan (NRP) and National Response Framework; however, their level of preparedness and response capabilities with respect to MFIs has never been evaluated. The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) to develop appropriate measures of preparedness for this sector; (2) to assess MFI preparedness among United States FBOs; and (3) to identify key factors associated with MFI preparedness. Problem New metrics for MFI preparedness, comprised of three domains (organizational capabilities, operational capabilities, and resource sharing partnerships), were developed and tested in a national convenience sample of FBO members.

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