ABSTRACT
Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................104 Overview of GIS at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control .....................................................................................104 GIS Integration of Hospital Preparedness Data .................................................107 Critical Data Sheet Application .........................................................................108 Vital Records and Carolina Health Electronic Surveillance System (CHESS) ....109 REACH ............................................................................................................ 111 Emergency Operations Center Drills (EOC Drills) ...........................................112 Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) .....113 Emergency Hurricane Sheltering System ........................................................... 114 Other GIS Support Applications ....................................................................... 115 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 116 Acknowledgments ............................................................................................. 116 References ......................................................................................................... 116
Introduction Healthcare facility preparedness for rapid response to a disaster relies on extensive planning, sharing of information, and effective coordination of resources. In recent years, much attention has been paid to the implementation of systems that integrate information to provide situational awareness across regions and states. The U.S. Federal Hospital Preparedness Program has promoted widespread use of information systems for tracking bed availability and hospital resources for medical surge during a mass casualty event. Other systems support prehospital emergency medical services, disease surveillance and reporting, rapid communication of health alerts, and management of emergency operations. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provide a framework for integrating information from multiple sources and converting data into useful information for planning and response.
