Katrina - Have We Learned Anything at All?

On this second anniversary of the disaster now known by a single word - "Katrina"

all of us in disaster response look around and shake our heads. One year ago we saw misstep after misstep, failure after failure. As we look back over a landscape that is still scarred by the aftermath of flooding and looting to see both despair and rebirth we ask ourselves: Are we any better prepared today?

Two recent reports by the National Academies of Science clearly stated that Americas hospitals and emergency rooms are no more prepared now than one or even five years ago. Worse, hospitals have failed to integrate emergency medical services (EMS) into their planning and response operations. This first link in the chain is not broken it is simply unhitched.

what happens the next time Mother Nature roars? We cannot yet mitigate an earthquake or a hurricane, a tornado or a volcano. We have yet to learn how to immunize our planet against the next great pandemic or the next plague.

Why is it after we see one of the great cities of America laid low and sunk beneath the waters of its own shores that we have yet to do any meaningful planning? This is not our governments fault. Money is available and spent every day for training. Why we must fight to get any hospital to train to avoid the next catastrophic failure in the wake of unavoidable disaster?

On those occasions when healthcare does choose to train, it is discouraging to see a room more than half empty. In a profession that loudly proclaims a dedication to patient safety and customer care, to see so few people interested in preserving the most necessary of community resources, healthcare, is demoralizing beyond words. Disasters can seldom be avoided. On the other hand, catastrophe can almost always be averted with conscientious planning and practice. The difference between a disaster and a catastrophe is that while disaster is when needs exceed resources, catastrophe is when needs exceed all ability to respond.

Equally disturbing is the territorialism among the specialties, each one laying claim to disaster medicine. Most healthcare delivered after a disaster is a simple the daily practice medicine under the worst conditions. These groups fail to realize that Disaster Medicine is primarily practiced before the disaster ever strikes. Disaster Medicine Specialists are part and parcel of planning for the community disaster response and the elimination of profession-specific silos of authority and knowledge. Rather than embracing the concept of board certification in the new specialty of Disaster Medicine, these territorial and fractious groups seek to stake their claim. They have learned nothing.

The good news, Disaster Life Support (DLS) has become the national standard for preparedness of individuals, families, businesses and healthcare professionals, Healthcare First Responder training (HFR) has become the ruler by which hospitals and other healthcare institutions are measured. While it is frustratingly difficult to get these audiences to come to class, it is immensely rewarding when they finally understand how important it is to be prepared, to be aware and to be able to protect themselves, their families, their communities, and their patients. Much like the early days of CPR, it will take time for the nation to understand the importance of every man, woman and child knowing what to do when the wind blows, the buildings falls, or the whole planet sneezes at once. Until then, we who teach these most precious skills will continue to strive to ensure that everyone goes home alive at the end of the day.

Will the Gulf coast and New Orleans recover?

Certainly in time.

The bigger question is will we ever learn to be D.I.S.A.S.T.E.R. R.E.A.D.Y. & P.L.A.N.?

Dr. Maurice A. Ramirez is the founder and president of the consulting firm High alert, LLC.. He serves on expert panels for pandemic preparedness and healthcare surge planning with Congressional and Cabinet Members. Board certified in multiple specialties, Dr. Ramirez is Founding Chairperson of the American Board of Disaster Medicine and serves the nation as a Senior Physician-Federal Medical Officer in the National Disaster Medical System. Dr. Ramirez has a new book: You Can Survive Anything, Anywhere, Every Time. His website is http://www.High-Alert.com

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Why Every Cycler Needs a Cycle Computer

Today cycle computers can do much more than just track the speed, distance and amount of time each ride takes. However there are certain other features than many of these devices now have included within them and we are going to be taking a look at just what some of these are.

Heart Monitor
This is ideal if you are someone who likes to know exactly what rate their heart is working at whilst they are out riding. No longer do you have to carry the additional weight of a heart rate monitor on your body instead you can let the computer do it for you. Those computers which come with a built in heart rate monitoring system then allows for additional space on your handlebars, and yet still provides the user with this essential information.

Gear Information
If you want to know exactly what gear you are in when out for a ride then choose one which comes with this feature as it will display through out the ride what gear you are in on the screen in front of you.

Cadence
This feature enables the rider to see at what speed they are pedalling and by being able to see this a rider is then able to choose the right gear which will then prevent them from placing to much pressure on their muscles and joints. The easier a person finds it to pedal then the much longer they will be able to ride for. One cycle computer which features this is the Vetta V100 wireless cadence kit.

Split Screen
If you are someone who wants to spend less time whilst out riding having to press buttons in order to see certain statistics or features on your device then why not choose one which comes with a split screen. These particular models then allow you to see not just the speed at which you are traveling but also your cadence as well. There are even some models which include the option for being able to display 4 functions on the screen on your handlebars.

Altimeter
If you are someone who happens to live in an area which is full of various altitudes then purchase a cycle computer which includes this particular feature within the device. This will then allow you to track the altitude at which you are currently traveling and also help to show where you have gained or loss altitude throughout the ride.

Certainly if you are looking for a cycle computer which contains the above features along with such other ones as wireless, thermometer, freeze frame memory and dual bike memory then it may be worth investing in the Vetta V100 wireless cadence kit.

To find out why the Vetta V100 is such a great cycle computer visit www.cyclocomputerreview.com

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