Maximizing Participation of Hispanic Community-Based/Non-Governmental Organizations (Ngos) in Emergency Preparedness

Abstract

To better understand social and structural changes needed to maximize community-based participation in emergency preparedness, 27 organizations, representing 12 states, participated in a study of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health. The study assessed social change needs (social will, community readiness, assets, and barriers) and structural needs (organizational capacity to integrate services into emergency management efforts locally). Results show high social will but little community readiness. Most non-governmental organizations (NGOs; 96%) were willing, but ill-prepared (65%) to face large-scale emergencies. Assets include bilingual/bicultural personnel, cultural competency, local knowledge, and public trust. Barriers include lack of culturally appropriate training and resources. Structurally, most NGOs want to link with voluntary organizations (79%) and public health departments (74%), but lack integration and coordination. Maximizing timely participation of these underutilized stakeholders in emergency planning can ensure culturally-proficient, community-tailored emergency plans, increased public confidence, and timely compliance with evacuation orders, thus helping to save lives.

Understanding Community Resilience in the Context of National Health Security: A Literature Review

“…Faith-based organizations and other NGOs are existing community entities with strong ties to the local community who may not have been a part of disaster teams (Baezconde-Garbanati et al, 2006;Pant et al, 2008). These organizations can help to engage local people who can be vital assets.…”

“…A health department, for example, partnering with a local NGO might be able to better maximize participation in emergency readiness because community members, and more often minority communities, trust NGOs over local government. Community partners may also advise on creating a culturally proficient emergency plan which can increase trust as well as use forums and other channels to address health concerns (Baezconde-Garbanati et al, 2006;Quinn, 2008).…”

“…For example, how prepared or unprepared are community partners? That is, many community based organizations and NGOs have a high desire to be involved but may lack readiness, prior experience, or have disaster plans in place for a largescale disaster (Baezconde-Garbanati et al, 2006;Pant et al, 2008). In one study of faith-based organizations that opened shelters in Mississippi in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, 75 percent did not have disaster plans in place prior to Katrina and yet made up a majority of shelters that remained opened for at least several weeks (Pant et al, 2008 (Pennel et al, 2008).…”

Building a National Culture of Health: Background, Action Framework, Measures, and Next Steps

“…For number and quality of partnerships, we asserted that in order to strengthen cross-sector collaboration, we should focus on the number and extent of collaborative partnerships between health and non-health sectors (Baezconde-Garbanati et al, 2006;Pant et al, 2008). In short, it is important both to enumerate specific partnerships between the health sector and other sectors and to document the quality of these partnerships.…”

“…The literature also provides ample evidence that government and nongovernmental organizations working together is a key factor in building a Culture of Health. Communities with strong cross-sector integration and engagement are better equipped to support a community's response to different types of stressors (Baezconde-Garbanati et al, 2006;Pant et al, 2008), in part because they can engage a variety of nongovernmental organizations and local groups with vital assets (Stewart, Kolluru, and Smith, 2009). The emphasis of this driver is to concretize such partnerships (with funding when available), rather than maintaining informal networks, so that they can be counted and evaluated .…”