This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a colleague
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Burkle, F. M.
Right arrow Articles by Archer, F. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Burkle, F. M., Jr
Right arrow Articles by Archer, F. L.

Concepts in Disaster Medicine

Definition and Functions of Health Unified Command and Emergency Operations Centers for Large-scale Bioevent Disasters Within the Existing ICS

Frederick M. Burkle Jr, MD, MPH, DTM, Edbert B. Hsu, MD, MPH, Michael Loehr, MRP, Michael D. Christian, MD, David Markenson, MD, Lewis Rubinson, MD, PhD and Frank L. Archer, MBBS, MEd, MPH

The incident command system provides an organizational structure at the agency, discipline, or jurisdiction level for effectively coordinating response and recovery efforts during most conventional disasters. This structure does not have the capacity or capability to manage the complexities of a large-scale health-related disaster, especially a pandemic, in which unprecedented decisions at every level (eg, surveillance, triage protocols, surge capacity, isolation, quarantine, health care staffing, deployment) are necessary to investigate, control, and prevent transmission of disease. Emerging concepts supporting a unified decision-making, coordination, and resource management system through a health-specific emergency operations center are addressed and the potential structure, function, roles, and responsibilities are described, including comparisons across countries with similar incident command systems.

Key Words: emergency operations center • incident command system • triage • surge capacity • biological • pandemics/epidemics




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 dmphpHome page
J. L. Hick, J. A. Barbera, and G. D. Kelen
Refining Surge Capacity: Conventional, Contingency, and Crisis Capacity
Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness, June 1, 2009; 3(Supplement_1): S59 - S67.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ChestHome page
I. Subbarao, N. A. Bostick, F. M. Burkle Jr, E. B. Hsu, J. H. Armstrong, and J. J. James
Re-Envisioning Mass Critical Care Triage as a Systemic Multitiered Process
Chest, April 1, 2009; 135(4): 1108 - 1108.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 dmphpHome page
N. A. Bostick, I. Subbarao, F. M. Burkle Jr, E. B. Hsu, J. H. Armstrong, and J. J. James
Disaster Triage Systems for Large-scale Catastrophic Events
Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness, September 1, 2008; 2(Supplement_1): S35 - S39.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]