Examine the existing procedures related to at least four (4) of the ten (10) essential public health services. Focus on the principal effects these procedures will have on your hospital during the emergency.

Public health systems are defined as all entities that contribute to the delivery of essential
health services to the general public. All entities that significantly contribute to the well-being of
a community are recognized as players in the public health system. In case of any emergency,
communities must seek to ensure that they rebuild and recover after the disaster occurs.
Advanced planning and preparedness can greatly help enhance disaster preparedness. In the case
of an imminent terror attack, the health service capabilities may be severely overwhelmed. One
of the essential public health services that are relevant to the imminent terror attack is monitoring
the health status and, in so doing, identify and solve community problems (Center for Disease
Control, 2). In the event of a terror attack, the hospital will have to solve the health problems that
come with the terror attack. The implication is that the hospital must have a response plan that
seeks to solve the health needs that arise from the terror attack.
Another essential public health service is informing, educating, and empowering people
on health issues (Center for Disease Control, 2). A terror attack presents various problems that
directly affect the community. A terror attack is an abnormal event that creates great potential
losses (Pourhosseini, Ardalan, & Mehrolhassani, 1). A terror attack is an example of a man-made
disaster. Following the terror attack, many people will need proper healthcare. Educating,
empowering, and informing people on how to handle the terror attack is one of the core
responsibilities of the healthcare establishment. Media advocacy and social marketing can help

ensure that all people are aware of how to handle the imminent terror attack, including the
actions that they should take should the terror attack occur.
Mobilizing community partnerships to identify and solve health problems is another
important essential health service. It is important to establish robust community partnerships to
solve the health problems that will result from the terror attack (Pourhosseini, Ardalan, &
Mehrolhassani, 1). A coalition that will provide all the essential resources required to cope with
health problems associated with the disaster is important. Through the coalition and partnerships
with important healthcare service providers, all the healthcare needs that may arise from the
disaster can be solved efficiently (Pourhosseini, Ardalan, & Mehrolhassani, 1). The coalitions
will help formulate targeted programs that will be important if the terror attack happens.
Developing policies and plans to support individual and community health efforts are
also important in times of a disaster (Center for Disease Control, 2). The creation of policies is
important since it helps in the modification of human behavior (Pourhosseini, Ardalan, &
Mehrolhassani, 1). Through the creation of robust policies, the hospital’s resources can be
aligned with the emerging healthcare needs that stem from the imminent terror attack. Negative
health outcomes can be greatly reduced, and systematic planning that guides community health
improvement can be put in place (Pourhosseini, Ardalan, & Mehrolhassani, 1). Other entities,
including government and non-governmental agencies, can cooperate in ensuring that a clear
plan that links both individual and community health efforts is developed.
Specify the importance of continuing to evaluate patients, as stipulated by the Emergency
Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), during the emergency.

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) was passed in the
year 1986 (Zibulewsky, 1). The initial intent of the law was to solve Medicare-related issues.
The law also aimed at stopping the practice of patient dumping. The law dictates that patients
seeking emergency services must be treated and stabilized regardless of the insurance status.
Hospitals must thus accept to stabilize patients before demanding for the payment of the services
extended. The act creates certain legal duties on all healthcare facilities (Zibulewsky, 1). A
hospital that has an emergency department must provide an appropriate screening examination
that is within the capabilities of the hospital’s emergency department. The screening examination
extends to ancillary services that are available to the emergency department.
In case of a terror attack, many patients will want to get emergency services from the
hospital’s emergency department. Screening examination has to be given in accordance with
EMTALA to ensure that the patients are stabilized (Zibulewsky, 1). The examination will
include ancillary services with a view of saving a life. Patients and victims of terror require to be
attended to immediately. Delays that may occur as the hospital inquires about the individual’s
method of payment or insurance can greatly put the life of the patient in danger. The hospital
must avoid placing the lives of patients in serious jeopardy (Zibulewsky, 1). The law ensures that
patients who are uninsured and are unable to pay are not transferred or dumped in spite of their
dire need for healthcare services. It ensures that there is no discrimination, and this relates to the
event of a disaster, including a terror attack (Zibulewsky, 1). All patients, regardless of their
ability to pay, must get access to services that focus on stabilizing them.
Detail three (3) measures that you would use in order to maintain the electronic medical
record system during the emergency

Disasters such as terror attacks can destroy societal infrastructure. Terrorism has the
capacity to overwhelm local resources. The influx of patients can test a hospital’s capacity, and
this demands that a hospital must be prepared to cope with the disaster (Smith & Macdonald,4,
p8). It is important to anticipate problems associated with the terror attack and put in place
measures that can help guide the reduction of the effects of the disaster. The methods of storing
patient records have changed in recent times (Smith & Macdonald,4, p8). Computerization of
medical health records has taken priority as healthcare organizations work towards using
computer systems to assist the management of healthcare. Treating the victims of a terror attack
can be extremely challenging.
With paper records destroyed, one measure that has to be put in place is to convert all
paper-based records to electronic records (Smith & Macdonald,4, p9). All vital records that could
be in paper form should be converted to electronic records. The conversion can help ensure that
patients can easily access their records and that these records can be used in the treatment of
patients. Another measure that needs to be adopted is the backing up of all computer files. The
hospital should ensure that all records are backed up periodically (Smith & Macdonald,4, p9).
Backing up ensures that the records will not be destroyed and that electronic records can easily
be accessed in the computer systems are destroyed. The third measure is to plan for the potential
loss of information (Horahan et al., 5). The terror attack may potentially damage information
technology networks. To this end, healthcare providers must work towards ensuring that they
embrace new technologies that can help address such a scenario (Smith & Macdonald,4, p10).
The use of innovative technology is one of the ways through which the hospital can be prepared.
Cloud computing is one of the newest technologies that can help address the problem of the

potential loss of critical healthcare data (Horahan et al., 5). Cloud computing ensures that data is
stored remotely, and this can help the hospital address the problem of the potential loss of data.
Defend your position on the decision to accept health insurance during the emergency as a
potential source of income for the facility. Provide support with at least three (3) examples
that illustrate your position
The hospital has to balance taking care of the needs of the patients and ensuring that it
maintains the financial health necessary to sustain such services. Emergency department services
are either inpatient or outpatient services (Wilson & Cutler, 6). Patients are then transferred to
other departments after they are stabilized. Patients may choose to pay through various methods,
while others may not have the ability to pay. To this end, it is important to accept health
insurance as a potential source of income for the facility as a way of balancing the revenue
between those who pay and those who do not pay. For example, two patients may be admitted to
the emergency department. One may pay via medical insurance while the other may not have the
ability to pay. The hospital is, however, under a legal obligation to stabilize both patients.
Medical insurance has to be accepted as a source of revenue if one patient fails to pay.
In addition, if the hospital does not accept that health insurance is a source of revenue,
this may limit the number of procedures that can be undertaken on patients. For example, a
patient may need various services to ensure that he or she fully recovers from the effects of the
terror attack. If this was to occur, these services could be accessed through payments made
through a health insurance plan (Wilson, & Cutler, 6). Running the emergency department
requires funds. Failure to have enough funds to run the emergency department can result in
closures, and this can limit the people who need emergency services (Wilson, & Cutler, 6). For
example, the lack of insurance reimbursements can have various financial implications. Without

sufficient reimbursements, the hospital can operate on losses, and this could result in the hospital
having to close down the emergency department.
Analyze the extent to which this emergency might affect the quality of care provided to the
patients and the unimpeded operation of the organization
Quality of healthcare services is related to patient satisfaction. However, in times of
disasters such as the terror attack, the hospital can be severely affected (Mosadeghrad, 7). The
occupancy rates could be tested, and the stress levels of healthcare workers could increase
significantly (Mosadeghrad, 7). The increase in hospitalization rates, as well as increased
hospital admission, could mean that the workers may have to work overtime. It may be difficult
to address all the medication needs of all patients. The mental health needs of all patients may
not be sufficiently addressed, and this could adversely affect the quality of services extended by
the hospital. A surge in critical patients may overwhelm the hospital’s resources (Mosadeghrad,
7). The hospital’s operation could thus be adversely affected. The uncertainty that surrounds a
terror attack could also adversely affect the operation of the hospital.

Source List

1. Pourhosseini, S. S., Ardalan, A., & Mehrolhassani, M. H. (2015). Key aspects of
   providing healthcare services in disaster response stage.
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4449997/
2. Center for Disease Control. (2020). The 10 Essential Public Health Services.
   https://www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/publichealthservices/essentialhealthservices.html
3. Zibulewsky, J. (2001, October). The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor
   Act (EMTALA): what it is and what it means for physicians.
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1305897/
4. Smith, E., & Macdonald, R. (2006). Managing health information during
   disasters. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b0f6/e94a0f15168d7d3f72310a3defb03fdda432.pd
   f
5. Horahan, K., Morchel, H., Raheem, M., & Stevens, L. (2014). Electronic health records
   access during a disaster. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3959913/
6. Wilson, M., & Cutler, D. (2014). Emergency department profits are likely to continue as
   the Affordable Care Act expands coverage.
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4285369/
7. Mosadeghrad, A. M. (2014). Factors affecting medical service
   quality. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4450689/