Nurses and Disasters

This timely volume describes and analyzes the collaborative nursing response to a variety of historic and recent global disasters that occurred between 1908 and 2012, including Hurricane Sandy. The book is unique in its discussion of the trans-national character of disaster response regarding the mobilization of individuals across national borders and continents. It examines how these transnational partnerships developed, their implications for policy, and how we can use lessons learned to improve care in the future. The book addresses such questions as: How did local, regional, and national communities mobilize for emergency care? What was the role of local nurses in emergency care after disasters? What was the role of the national or international Red Cross, local and federal government, physicians, nurses, and other first responders? What was the impact of social attitudes and issues of race, class, and gender on the ways nurses and other health care professionals reacted to the disasters? How did food shortages and food insecurity, and /or violence reshape health care goals? How did unpreparedness for the type or scope of the disaster affect the response? How can our ideas about trans-national exchange and/or transformation of health care knowledge be enhanced when nurses from across the globe contribute their experiences to the disaster response? The book will be of value to a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate students in nursing, social work, history, health policy, women's studies, public health, and urban studies. Key Features: Addresses the trans-national character of disaster response Explains in detail what nurses can expect during disasters and what measures to take when disaster strikes Examines previous natural disasters and calls into question whether disasters were caused by accidents or intentional/unintentional human error Discusses policy implications of the different disasters, focusing on transnational partnerships