Table 1.
Public health preparedness capabilities used to categorize key words from qualitative data in 2014 WIC provider focus group and interviews and 2015 surveys( 9 )
| Preparedness capabilities | Definition |
|---|---|
| CDC-defined capabilities( 12 ) | |
| Community preparedness | Ability of communities to prepare for, withstand and recover |
| Community recovery | Ability to collaborate with community partners to plan and advocate for the rebuilding of public health systems |
| Emergency operations coordination | Ability to direct and support an event or incident with public health or medical implications by establishing oversight, organization and supervision |
| Emergency public information and warning | Ability to develop, coordinate and disseminate information, alerts and notifications to the public and incident management responders |
| Information sharing | Ability to conduct multijurisdictional exchange of health-related information and situational awareness data |
| Mass care | Ability to coordinate with partner agencies to address public health, medical and mental/behavioural health needs of those impacted |
| Medical countermeasure dispensing | Ability to provide medical countermeasures |
| Medical material management | Ability to acquire, maintain, transport, distribute and track medical material during an incident |
| Medical surge | Ability to provide adequate medical evaluation and care during events that exceed the limits of the normal medical infrastructure |
| Public health epidemiological investigation and surveillance | Ability to create, maintain, support and strengthen routine surveillance and detection systems and epidemiological investigation processes |
| Volunteer management | Ability to coordinate the identification, recruitment, registration, credential verification, training and engagement of volunteers to support the public health agency’s response to incidents of public health significance |
| Other capabilities( 9 ) * | |
| Environmental health protection | Ability to protect the public from environmental hazards |
| Flexibility | Ability to respond based on flexibility in funding, reimbursement, regulations and law |
| Planning | Plan, implement and modify current plans/policies/protocols or the ability to develop new plans/policies as needed to respond to the incident |
| Roles and responsibilities | Ability to respond efficiently due to leadership, roles and responsibilities being clearly understood and adhered to |
| Training and preparedness | Adequate training initiatives, drills and/or exercises developed prior to the disaster |
| Miscellaneous | Remaining items that did not fit into a capability |
WIC, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
*
Capabilities defined for the present study’s purposes.