Irwin Redlener, MD and David Abramson, PhD MPH of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) and Stephen Flynn of Northeastern University’s Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security hosted “After Superstorm Sandy: Lessons Learned for Bolstering the Resilience of Health Systems and Services” on December 3rd, 2013 at Columbia University.
The day-long event focused on the capacity of health systems and services at local, state, and regional levels to prepare for and recover from disasters. Roundtable participants discussed Sandy as a “teachable moment,” considering lessons learned that can lead to developing new tools, processes, policies, and incentives for bolstering system and service resilience.
The event was the third of four forums funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, each in collaboration with a different academic expert. The series examined ways that cities can enhance the resilience of key systems or sectors, including transportation, energy, health, and risk management. NCDP and the Kostas Research Institute will produce a report based on this event, and there will be a synthesizing report at the end of the series.
Attendees included high-ranking federal, state, and local officials, leaders from local healthcare systems, and public health experts from other coastal cities. Sheri Fink, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of Five Days at Memorial (Crown, 2013), also provided a keynote address.
Read the Conference Synopsis and Conference Agenda.
National Center for Disaster Preparedness Assistant Professor of Sociomedical Sciences Columbia University
Vice Chair for Emergency Preparedness Massachusetts General Hospital
Commissioner New Jersey Department of Children and Families
Deputy Commissioner, Public Health Services New Jersey Department of Health
Senior Vice-President, Ambulatory Services North Shore-LIJ Health System
New America Foundation Author, Five Days at Memorial (Crown, 2013)
Herbert W. Adams Professor Chair of Emergency Medicine New York University/Bellevue Hospital Center
Senior Policy Director Community Health Care Association of New York State
Commissioner New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services
Senior Vice-President, Network Integration Associate Chief Clinical Officer NYU Langone Medical Center
Director Office of Public Health Preparedness & Response Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for Resilience Policy National Security Staff The White House
Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response United States Department of Health and Human Services
Director Los Angeles County Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Program
Senior Vice-President/Chief Medical Officer New York City Health & Hospitals Corporation
First Deputy Commissioner New York State Department of Health
