Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-19T09:09:57.526Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Integrating Racially and Ethnically Diverse Communities Into Planning for Disasters: The California Experience

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2013

Dennis P. Andrulis ,
Nadia J. Siddiqui  and
Jonathan P. Purtle
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objectives: Racially/ethnically diverse communities suffer a disproportionate burden of adverse outcomes before, during and after a disaster. Using California as a locus of study, we sought to identify challenges and barriers to meeting the preparedness needs of these communities and highlight promising strategies, gaps in programs, and future priorities.

Methods: We conducted a literature review, environmental scan of organizational Web sites providing preparedness materials for diverse communities, and key informant interviews with public health and emergency management professionals.

Results: We identified individual-level barriers to preparing diverse communities such as socioeconomic status, trust, culture, and language, as well as institutional-level barriers faced by organizations such as inadequate support for culturally/linguistically appropriate initiatives. Current programs to address these barriers include language assistance services, community engagement strategies, cross-sector collaboration, and community assessments. Enhancing public-private partnerships, increasing flexibility in allocating funds and improving organizational capacity for diversity initiatives were all identified as additional areas of programmatic need.

Conclusions: Our study suggests at least four intervention priorities for California and across the United States: engaging diverse communities in all aspects of emergency planning, implementation, and evaluation; mitigating fear and stigma; building organizational cultural competence; and enhancing coordination of information and resources. In addition, this study provides a methodological model for other states seeking to assess their capacity to integrate diverse communities into preparedness planning and response.

(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2011;5:227–234)

Keywords

diverse populationsdisaster preparednessCaliforniacommunity participatory planningminority healthdisaster planningethnic groupscultural competencycommunity health planning
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 5 , Issue 3 , October 2011 , pp. 227 - 234
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1.Messias, DK, Lacy, E.Katrina-related health concerns of Latino survivors and evacuees. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2007;18 (2):443–464.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2.Carter-Pokras, O, Zambrana, RE, Mora, SE, Aaby, KA.Emergency preparedness: knowledge and perceptions of Latin American immigrants. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2007;18 (2):465–481.Google Scholar
3.Perilla, JL, Norris, FH, Lavizzo, EA.Ethnicity, culture, and disaster response: identifying and explaining ethnic differences in PTSD six months after Hurricane Andrew. J Soc Clin Psychol. 2002;21:20–45.Google Scholar
4.Fothergill, A, Maestas, EG, Darlington, JD.Race, ethnicity and disasters in the United States: a review of the literature. Disasters. 1999;23 (2):156–173.Google Scholar
5.Andrulis, DP, Siddiqui, NJ, Gantner, JL.Preparing racially and ethnically diverse communities for public health emergencies. Health Aff (Millwood). 2007;26 (5):1269–1279.Google Scholar
6.Hutchins, SS, Fiscella, K, Levine, RS, Ompad, DC, McDonald, M.Protection of racial/ethnic minority populations during an influenza pandemic. Am J Public Health. 2009;99(Suppl 2)S261–S270.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Masozera, M, Bailey, M, Kerchner, C.Distribution of impacts of natural disasters across income groups: a case study of New Orleans. Ecol Econ. 2007;63:299–306.Google Scholar
8.Bolin, R, Stanford, L.The Northridge earthquake: community-based approaches to unmet recovery needs. Disasters. 1998;22 (1):21–38.Google Scholar
9.Pastor, M, Bullard, RD, Boyce, JKIn the Wake of the Storm: Environment, Disaster and Race After Katrina.New York: Russell Sage Foundation; 2006:1-52.Google Scholar
10.Steege, AL, Baron, S, Davis, S, Torres-Kilgore, J, Sweeney, MH.Pandemic influenza and farmworkers: the effects of employment, social, and economic factors. Am J Public Health. 2009;99(Suppl 2)S308–S315.Google Scholar
11.Ablah, E, Konda, K, Kelley, CL.Factors predicting individual emergency preparedness: a multi-state analysis of 2006 BRFSS data. Biosecur Bioterror. 2009;7 (3):317–330.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12.James, X, Hawkins, A, Rowel, R.An assessment of the cultural appropriateness of emergency preparedness communication for low income minorities. J Homeland Secur Emerg Manage. 2007;4 (3):13.Google Scholar
13.Mathew, AB, Kelly, KDisaster preparedness in urban immigrant communities: lessons learned from recent catastrophic events and their relevance to Latino and Asian communities in southern California. http://www.trpi.org/PDFs/DISASTER_REPORT_Final.pdf. Published 2008. Accessed March 15, 2008.Google Scholar
14.Cordasco, KM, Eisenman, DP, Glik, DC, Golden, JF, Asch, SM.“They blew the levee”: distrust of authorities among Hurricane Katrina evacuees. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2007;18 (2):277–282.Google Scholar
15.Eisenman, DP, Glik, D, Gonzalez, L.Improving Latino disaster preparedness using social networks. Am J Prev Med. 2009;37 (6):512–517.Google Scholar
16.US Census Bureau. California: selected social characteristics in the United States: 2008. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US06&-qr_name=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_DP2&-context=adp&-ds_name=&-tree_id=308&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-format=. Accessed March 12, 2010.Google Scholar
17.California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CALFIRE). CAL FIRE 2006 wildland fire summary. http://www.fire.ca.gov/communications/downloads/fact_sheets/2006Summary.pdf. Accessed March 15, 2010.Google Scholar
18.US Geological Survey.Earthquake facts. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learning/facts.php. Accessed March 15, 2010.Google Scholar
19.National Resource Center on Advancing Emergency Preparedness for Culturally Diverse Communities. National Consensus Panel on Emergency Preparedness and Cultural Diversity. http://www.diversitypreparedness.org/NCP/92. Accessed March 12, 2010.Google Scholar
20.Transportation Research Board. The role of transit in emergency evacuation. http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/sr/sr294.pdf. Published 2008. Accessed March 15, 2010.Google Scholar
21.Wang, T, Yasui, LIntegrating immigrant families in emergency response, relief and rebuilding efforts. http://www.gcir.org/publications/gcirpubs/emergency. Accessed September 5, 2011.Google Scholar
22.Nunez-Alvarez, A, Konana, MM, Ramos, ASan Diego firestorm 2007 report: fire impact on farmworkers & migrant communities in North County. http://www.diversitypreparedness.org/Topic/Subtopic/Record-Detail/18/communityId__18402/resourceId__17633. Accessed September 5, 2011.Google Scholar
23.San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium, Justice Overcoming Boundaries of San Diego County, ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties. Firestorm: Treatment of vulnerable populations during the San Diego fires. http://www.aclusandiego.org/article_downloads/000698/Final%20Report%20-%20Firestorms%2011-07.pdf. Accessed March 15, 2010.Google Scholar
24.Wray, R, Rivers, J, Whitworth, A.Public perceptions about trust in emergency risk communication: qualitative research findings. Int J Mass Emerg Disasters. 2006;24:45–75.Google Scholar
25.Eisenman, DP, Wold, C, Setodji, C.Will public health's response to terrorism be fair? Racial/ethnic variations in perceived fairness during a bioterrorist event. Biosecur Bioterror. 2004;2 (3):146–156.Google Scholar
26.Martinez, AThe unseen victims of California's wildfires. http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=d70074999a1b81cef632488c949812aa. Published October 26, 2007. Accessed March 15, 2010.Google Scholar
27.Asian Pacific Legal Center of Southern California and Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum. California speaks: language diversity and English proficiency by legislative district. http://www.calendow.org/uploadedFiles/california_speaks.pdf. Published 2006. Accessed March 15, 2010.Google Scholar
28.Schoch-Spana, M, Franco, C, Nuzzo, JB, Usenza, CWorking Group on Community Engagement in Health Emergency Planning. Community engagement: leadership tool for catastrophic health events. Biosecur Bioterror. 2007;5 (1):8–25.Google Scholar
29.Smedley, BD, Stith, AY, Nelson, ARUnequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care.Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2003.Google Scholar
30.Saha, S, Komaromy, M, Koepsell, TD, Bindman, AB.Patient-physician racial concordance and the perceived quality and use of health care. Arch Intern Med. 1999;159 (9):997–1004.Google Scholar
31.Office of Minority Health, Department of Health and Human Services. National standards on culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) in health care. Fed Regist. 2000;65:80865–80879.Google Scholar
32.Office of Minority Health, Department of Health and Human Services. Why use culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) throughout a disaster?. https://cccdpcr.thinkculturalhealth.org. Accessed March 15, 2010.Google Scholar
33.Andrulis, D, Delbanco, T, Avakian, L, Shaw-Taylor, YConducting a cultural competence self-assessment. http://www.consumerstar.org/pubs/Culturalcompselfassess.pdf. Accessed March 12, 2010.Google Scholar
34.Andrulis, DPAdapting a cultural competence assessment protocol for emergency management and public health agencies to advance disaster preparedness.Paper presented at: National Medical Association Emergency Planning Meeting; Sarasota, FL; March 6, 2009.Google Scholar