Healthcare organizations need to create a robust culture of emergency preparedness. Organizational commitment, training, and collaboration with the community are crucial to enhance the preparedness in the case of disasters. The organizations also require strong leadership and individual commitment towards ensuring a culture of preparedness. To this end, four components are required. Firstly, building and fostering relationships is required to identify critical stakeholders in society (Barrett & Whaley-Martin, 2013). Healthcare organizations should also formulate processes that enhance effective communication (Medina, 2016). For instance, this can assist stakeholders to observe and understand the incident command or response system. Also, organizations should test response plans to assess the effectiveness of results in the case of a disaster (Barrett & Whaley-Martin, 2013). However, these testing plans should be executed frequently. Organizations should also identify potential hazards. This ensures the proper identification and resolution of issues before they arise (Medina, 2016).

Various strategies are used to sustain emergency preparedness programs. It is crucial to ensure the commitment of leaders, partnerships, and proper funding of these programs. Financial grants enhance the sustainability of emergency preparedness programs by ensuring that there is enough funding for activities associated with the response, recovery, and mitigation of the disaster (Barrett & Whaley-Martin, 2013). The creation of a regional coordination plan is also crucial since it provides guidelines for resolving such issues. Consequently, it enhances the sustainability of these programs. These plans should be tested to meet the needs of the healthcare organization. It may include changing the procedures to sustain and enhance the effectiveness of operations when hazards occur. Political commitment is another important aspect of ensuring the sustainability of such programs (Barrett & Whaley-Martin, 2013). Partnerships with other agencies can also increase the collaboration and sustainability of disaster preparedness programs.

References

Barrett, C., & Whaley-Martin, A. (2013). Connections matter when disaster hits. Retrieved from https://www.chausa.org/publications/health-progress/article/november-december-2013/connections-matter-when-disaster-hits.

Medina, A. (2016). Promoting a culture of disaster preparedness. Journal of Business Continuity & Emergency Planning, 9(3), 281-290.

150 words, APA style