Duke Center for Health Informatics: Responding to the “Upstream Analogy”: Examining Emergency Management’s Role in Protecting the Public and Building Safe, Sanitary and Resilient Communities

Seminar Abstract: For many North Carolinians, Governor Roy Cooper's Coronavirus Briefings were the first time that they saw Emergency Management personnel engaged in activities beyond "the usual" storm preparation. Yet, this coordinated cadre of government personnel, businesses, volunteer agencies and community members routinely works behind the scenes to provide rapid response to natural and human-caused disasters and events that disrupt our daily lives and impact the health and well-being of entire communities. This presentation will serve as a primer on Emergency Management (EM), with a focus on Disaster Recovery, and its role in addressing the Social Determinants of Health. It will explore EM's efforts to mitigate the impacts of future disasters and rebuild stronger, more resilient communities. Participants will also be introduced to the work that North Carolina Central University is doing in this EM space to help make North Carolina safer. By the end of the presentation, participants should be able to answer the question, "What does this have to do with health or health informatics?" Instructor Biosketch: Lucretia Hoffman is an Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Public Health Education at North Carolina Central University and a Government Services Manager for HORNE; a national professional services firm founded on the cornerstone of public accounting and dedicated to helping government clients develop and manage housing, infrastructure and economic development program implementation using best practices and processes. Lucretia holds a Bachelor's degree from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts and a Master's in Public Health and a Master's in Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago. A native of Washington, DC, Lucretia has always had a passion for community engagement and improvement through service. Meeting link: https://duke.zoom.us/j/2186100752?pwd=V21yelR5TS84TXRaKzZEYktYaGE4UT09 Meeting number (access code): 218 610 0752, Meeting password: 950986