Dyson College of Arts and Sciences
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College of Health Professions Protecting the Public: Nursing's Call to Action Marie Londrigan, PhD Lienhard School of Nursing, Pace University, Pleasantville, NY History informs us that disasters, either natural or human-made, occur despite the best prevention plans. Thus, a society's ability to assess its communities to determine their areas of weaknesses and strengths and subsequently to develop and implement strategies for prevention of catastrophic events is critical. A society and its people must also be able to respond and engage in activities to rebound and rebuild. The management of disaster events, therefore, comprises not only preparedness, but also the ability of a community or society to respond, mitigate the effects of the event, and reduce loss, all the while taking steps to prevent future events (Department of Homeland Security, [FEMA], 2011). Lessons learned from the disaster experience will serve to enhance and strengthen the way in which future disasters are managed. Nursing has always been at the forefront of disaster response, taking on active roles to protect and serve the public in times of need. The purpose of this paper is to consider the early role of nurses in times of disaster, explore the ongoing development and enhancement of contemporary society's response to disasters, and to examine the place of contemporary nursing within a larger public health initiative to serve and protect the public during times of disaster management. Looking Back There is much historical evidence of nursing's participation during times of disaster. Academics, including Mann Wall and Keeling (2011), discuss specific instances in history when nurses responded to public need during and after disasters. Through the lens of nursing history, these authors offer the reader a glimpse into the past to explore and gain an enhanced understanding of the critical role that nurses assumed as they provided prompt care to the ill or injured. Nurses took action during the 1878 yellow fever epidemic in Mississippi, the Johnstown Flood of 1889, the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the flu pandemic of 1918, the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub fire of 1942, and the Texas City ship explosion of 1947, to name just a few. The Jacksonville Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1888 During the yellow fever epidemic of 1888, local care efforts were overwhelmed and the result was high mortality rates. The medical director of the local hospital remembered how the nurses at Bellevue Hospital in New York City worked to meet the needs of the ill and dying, and how these trained nurses had the potential to provide the needed services to those afflicted with yellow fever, also known as the "Yellow Jack." Nurses and students traveled to Jacksonville, Florida, from New York and other locales. Together these nurses worked collectively, "standardizing treatment protocols in the face of massive numbers of victims" (D'Antonio & Whelan, 2004, p. 67). Contemporary accounts demonstrate that locating and traveling to the people who needed help was challenging. Consider this example: Colonel F. R. Southmayd, secretary of the Red Cross Society of New Orleans, was making his way to Florida from New Orleans with a group of nurses when he had to direct 10 of them to jump 45