The Importance Of Critical Infrastructure

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Special Project Assignment

Critical Infrastructure: Health Care and Public Health Sector

Course Instructor: Dr. Sharon Medcalf
MPH Student: Umeda Sadykova

Describe why this area is important to overall community infrastructure,
Every country’s critical infrastructure exists to provide the most vital services to the population. The Health Care and Public Health Sector (HPH) is one of thirteen Critical Infrastructures for the United States. The network of all nation’s critical infrastructures support and maintain the well-being of the community. Playing an important role in preparedness for and response to all hazards, the Health Care and Public Health Sector is actually …show more content…

A disruption or failure to fulfil an essential responsibility would bring serious consequences “downstream.” There would be a failure of the public’s trust in their government’s ability to protect its citizens. The factors which make the Health Care and Public Health Sector even more vulnerable result from its interactions with so many diverse sectors and stakeholders. Any disruption in these partnerships could lead to the disruption of the provision or continuity of essential services to the …show more content…

Weaknesses in any of these elements expose the Health Care and Public Health Sector to substantial risk:
• Including the community into planning processes will ensure community ownership in their own risk reduction, integrate the community into the national response system, and increase community resilience. Therefore, community involvement should be a vital part of preparedness planning. Partnering with communities will also help in assessing both their capacities and vulnerabilities.
• Volunteer management: Preparedness planning should involve engaging, training, mobilizing, and supporting volunteers as an essential task.
• Considering that the majority of the HCPH Sector’s Health Care assets are privately owned, it is essential to provide and equip the private owners and entities of critical infrastructures with tools which help them to assess risk in a comprehensive manner and to come up with solutions to manage that risk.
• In addition, preparedness planning must include provisions for the care and well-being of facility staff and their

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