Terrorism and preparedness: What September 11 and its aftermath mean for physicians

In the aftermath of September 11, the people and government of the United States confronted a new reality–so too did the health care community. The attacks revealed a number of vulnerabilities with respect to the health care system’s infrastructure and ability to respond to terrorism. Although September 11 represents an unprecedented disaster in the United States, one would shudder to imagine the repercussions if biological or chemical agents, radioactive material, or nuclear weapons had been employed. The truth is, September 11 could have been much worse. Yet in the 3 1/2 years since the attacks, arguably little progress has been made.