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Evidence of Learning 1

The document summarizes Sariah Thomas' completion of a Texas Health and Human Services digital course on disaster preparedness. The course outlined how to prepare for emergencies like disease outbreaks and natural disasters. It discussed preparing patients, medical practices, and recovering from disasters. Thomas found the course valuable for her interest in epidemiology, and learned about the importance of preparing for localized outbreaks that receive little attention. The course inspired her to consider more accessible topics for her independent study project that could still make an impact.

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45 views4 pages

Evidence of Learning 1

The document summarizes Sariah Thomas' completion of a Texas Health and Human Services digital course on disaster preparedness. The course outlined how to prepare for emergencies like disease outbreaks and natural disasters. It discussed preparing patients, medical practices, and recovering from disasters. Thomas found the course valuable for her interest in epidemiology, and learned about the importance of preparing for localized outbreaks that receive little attention. The course inspired her to consider more accessible topics for her independent study project that could still make an impact.

Uploaded by

api-655779303
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Sariah Thomas

Prosper Career Independent Study

Mrs. McClendon

10 November 2023

Texas Health and Human Services Digital Course, Disaster Preparedness

For my first Evidence of Learning, I completed Texas Health and Human Services’

digital course over Disaster Preparedness. To summarize the course, the material outlined ways

to better prepare and deal with emergency disasters such as infectious disease outbreaks,

hurricanes, wildfires, winter storms, etc. This is especially important in the state of Texas,

because on average we face one major disaster each calendar year. The course divided itself into

four notable sectors: How to prepare your patients, how to prepare your medical practice, how to

prepare for specific types of disasters, and how to recover from disaster. How to Prepare Your

Patients outlined the importance of discussing disaster preparedness with your patients, as it can

prevent future medical checkups and visits. Health care providers should help families create

disaster plans; disaster plans can include, but are not limited to, ensuring that the family has

digital copies of their medical records, medicine and prescriptions in one easy accessible place, a

disaster kit, and that they know where they can shelter or evacuate. How to Prepare Your

Medical Practice outlined how a medical staff can create efficient communication plans,

communicate with families, practice organization and management, and participate in Hospital

Preparedness Programs (HPP). Health-care coalitions, which are a type of HPP, can bring

together various health-care and response organizations in a geographic area. This collaboration

can dramatically increase response efficiency in emergency disasters. The section How to
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Prepare for Specific Types of Disasters had subsections of all the different types of disasters, but

I primarily focused on the section of Infectious Disease Outbreaks. Most outbreaks that occur are

local—unlike the large scale of COVID-19—meaning they don’t receive wide spread news

coverage. People should encourage local health authority recommendations (reporting when

there is a possible outbreak). The last section, How to Recover from Disaster, outlined some of

the various federal laws and programs that can make federal aid and disaster intervention more

efficient in times of need, such as the Stafford Act and the National Emergencies Act.

Completing this course was deeply valuable to my desired field of epidemiology, which

is in the emergency medicine realm. While infectious disease outbreaks were merely one facet

under the umbrella of disasters this course referred to, I consumed the course in the context of

infectious diseases. When one is working in the field of epidemiology or in a healthcare center,

they need to be well-versed and prepared for any type of outbreak or emergency situation

beforehand. The key to preventing and properly monitoring emerging diseases is understanding

disaster preparedness. Knowing what steps a healthcare facility will take if there is an unknown

virus, a hurricane that floods a clinic, or how to properly deal with a local outbreak that isn’t

receiving news coverage, are all examples of how emergency preparedness plays a role in my

field. While I was familiar with some preparedness details in this course, I also learned many

details that I have never considered. Even disasters that are not infectious, such as natural

disasters, can have an impact on immunology by delaying vaccines, lab work, and medical

screenings. Delaying these things can greatly increase the risk of an outbreak, even though the

original disaster may not be pathologically based. Another interesting fact I learned was that

most outbreaks/disasters are local. I believe most people, including myself, automatically think
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of huge epidemics and events when we think of the topic of infectious diseases. However, the

smaller outbreaks are just as important, if not more relevant, because they can be more common.

Another dangerous thing about these local outbreaks is that they don’t receive as much news

coverage because they are not regarded as a pressing world-wide threat. The lack of news

coverage and public information can lead to the mishandling of isolation and hygiene practices.

Both of these details are valuable pieces of information to consider as I move forward in the field

of epidemiology, because I am now more aware of how natural disasters and smaller-scale

outbreaks can pose a threat to communities.

While this video has spurred a train of understanding for my future career pursuits, it has

also exemplified how I can apply this information to my participation in my Career Independent

Study Program. I believe the understanding of the importance of small-scale outbreaks will give

me more flexibility in what I decide to put my attention towards for my final project. My final

project does not have to be on some huge, insurmountable topic, in order to have impact. In fact,

focusing on local outbreaks will be more educationally accessible as well as have a more direct

impact on the very people, places, and communities that surround me. This course has inspired

me to think outside the box on what I may focus on for next semester. The course also reinstated

the importance of being thorough in your work. A common theme weaved throughout every

subtopic was how installing plans and organization tactics can make all the difference. I hope

learning about these organization skills will carry over to how I conduct myself in PCIS this

year.

Work Cited
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Lacy, Steve. “.” , 2 October 2022,

https://www.txhealthsteps.com/632-disaster-preparedness-what-texas-health-steps-provid

ers-should-know. Accessed 13 November 2023.

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