Health physics
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In November 2007, the Wisconsin Division of Public Health Hospital Disaster Preparedness Program State Expert Panel on Radiation Emergencies issued a report titled The Management of Patients in a Radiological Incident. Gundersen Lutheran Health System was selected to conduct a demonstration project to implement the recommendations in that report. A comprehensive radiological incident response plan was developed and implemented in the hospital's Trauma and Emergency Center, including the purchase and installation of radiation detection and identification equipment, staff education and training, a tabletop exercise, and three mock incident test exercises. The project demonstrated that the State Expert Panel report provides a flexible template that can be implemented at community hospitals using existing staff for an approximate cost of $25,000.
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In order to effectively respond to and minimize the psychological impact following disasters, such as radio-nuclear ones, it is essential to understand the mechanisms involved in such conditions and how to prevent and treat the psychological impacts, including those related to acute traumatic stress and its consequences across life span. Radio-nuclear emergencies may cause psychological traumatic stress, with its potentially significant consequences in mental health, with both short and long-term effects, which extend beyond the individuals directly affected. ⋯ The present century has witnessed a steady increase in the number of publications concerning the mental health impact of traumatic events, showing the need of increasing the study of traumatic stress and its impact on mental health. A prompt, planned and effective response to manage disaster-induced acute traumatic stress may prevent the evolutionary reactions of traumatic stress into disorders or even chronic stress diseases that can appear after a nuclear or radiological emergency.
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An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale struck the Niigata-Chuetsu region of Japan at 10:13 on 16 July 2007. The earthquake was followed by the sustained occurrence of numerous aftershocks, delaying the reconstruction of community lifelines. The earthquake affected the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plants (NPPs), the biggest NPP site in the world. ⋯ DMAT members are critical to any mass casualty incident, whether caused by humans or nature. We have learned from this earthquake that there is urgent need for an all-hazards approach, including a "combined disaster" strategy, which should be emphasized for current disaster planning and response. This is the first report on DMATs deployed to an earthquake site with damage to NPPs.