Safety Information for Health Care Professionals

If you’re a health care professional helping at an emergency site, here’s information that will help you care for survivors.

Medical Care After a Hurricane

• Immunizations After a Disaster
  Find recommendations for vaccinations, tetanus prevention, and the impact of power outages on vaccine storage.
• Medical Management and Patient Advisement
  Get information for assisting patients, including pregnant women, and guidelines for treating health risks like diarrhea, injuries, and infectious diseases.
• Medical Records
  Learn about “Keep It With You” — a temporary personal medical information form for people who don’t have access to their medical records.
• Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSUs)
  Find information from a national network of clinics that offers health professionals free clinical advice about environmental risks for children.
• Dialysis Care
  Read about treating people on dialysis when the water supply may be unsafe.

Health Risks After a Hurricane

• Clinical Guidance for Carbon Monoxide (CO) Poisoning After a Disaster
  Get information about at risk populations, sources of CO poisoning, and how to recognize and treat it.
• Mold After a Disaster
  Find resources about preventing and removing mold and treating mold allergies.
• Health Recommendations for Workers Who Handle Human Remains
  Get advice on protecting yourself from disease during contact with human remains.
• Management of Dead Bodies in Disaster Situations
  Consult a manual from the Pan American Health Organization for specialists and authorities managing disaster sites.

Helping Survivors Cope with Trauma

• Coping with a Disaster or Traumatic Event
  See resources for the public, teachers, responders, and health professionals.
• Health Professionals: Coping with a Traumatic Event
  Find advice on how to help patients cope with a traumatic event.
• Tips for Managing Stress: A Guide for Emergency Response and Public Safety Workers
  Get tips for stress management and prevention advice from SAMHSA.
• Tips for Survivors of a Traumatic Event
  Learn what people should expect to feel after a disaster.
• Coping with Traumatic Events
  Check out information from SAMHSA about how people react to trauma and when to get help.

Other Resources

• Surveillance
  Get surveillance forms, community and shelter assessment tools, and other public health assessment (PHA) forms.
• Drug and Medical Device Safety
  Find suggestions for medication use, insulin storage, disposal of contaminated devices, and information about using medical devices during and after an emergency.
• Questions About Clinical Investigations Affected by Disasters
  Get information from the FDA about what to do if a disaster affects your research.
• Reopening Health Care Facilities
  Learn about safety precautions before reopening health care facilities.

You may want to give information to survivors after a hurricane about the risks they might face at home. Visit Evacuee Educational Materials for free resources.