| Description |
There are critical transition moments in public health: when epidemics become pandemics, when storms become hurricanes, when incidents become disasters. This paper will explore the national preparedness and response standards developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (!!HS) and how effectively they are implemented on a local level (Davis. Salt Lake, and Utah Counties. UT). A contextual legislative history of these policies will be provided and followed by an analysis of the overlap between the CDC's Social Vulnerability Index (SV I) and the most recent Hazards and Loss Estimates report from the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI). This secondary section (the cross-reference between SVI and the EERI report) will evaluate if there are any lapses or victories in how our local government prioritizes which communities to assist first during emergencies. A thorough examination of the racial. gender. and socioeconomic composition of these communities will be conducted and visually depicted using GlS (Geographic Information System). The intent is to illustrate how critical infrastructure planning is a vital component of urban environments while simultaneously assessing social equity along the Wasatch Front. These GIS maps will serve as a foundation for subsequent qualitative interviews with local health department officials/state employees to gather a variety of governmental perspectives. The articulation and interpretation of the local-level interview content will constitute Part Three of this thesis. |
