Download MHS5201Unit I EssayColumbia Southern University M and more Lecture notes Accounting in PDF only on Docsity! MHS5201 Unit I Essay Columbia Southern University MHS5201 Unit I Essay When the local or federal government creates policies, especially when those policies pertain to community preparedness, emergency procedures, and overall safety, they do a great job at getting the news out and involving the community. Currently, I reside in Georgia and work in the emergency medical service. I have seen firsthand how policies when implemented in Geor- gia have bettered the community. The two programs I am going to highlight in the following es- say are Georgia Severe Weather Preparedness Week and the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC). These programs help highlight Homeland Security’s core missions by informing, engaging, and protecting the community. Georgia Severe Weather Preparedness Week During the Georgia Severe Weather Preparedness Week, Georgia Emergency Manage- ment and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) in conjunction with the National Weather Service (NWS) do an excellent job at teaching the community about severe weather. They go over appropriate actions to take when there is a chance for severe weather, they go over the dif- ferent types of severe weather, and they have drills that the community can participate in (Se- vere, n.d). GEMA/HS and NWS break up the topics that are discussed, having one topic a day during the week. This is designed so that they have the ability to go in-depth about each subject. This recurring week keeps Georgians up to date on severe weather preparedness information, along with reminding everyone of the emergency procedures to take in the event there is severe weather. Core Mission #5: Goal 5.2 is about enhancing preparedness. This goal that HS has put into place is to help improve the knowledge for communities along with helping sustain the abil- ity to prepare for disasters (Hill et al., 2015). Georgia Severe Weather Preparedness Week high- lights this goal by informing communities and helping them prepare for disasters that may occur from severe weather. Learning about the different types of severe weather, having a checklist for items that you will need for your disaster kit, and understanding where to shelter during severe weather backs this goal by strengthening the capabilities of the community. This core mission is very important for many communities in Georgia, especially the ones along the coast of the At- lantic Ocean. Since these communities live on the coast, they are at an increased risk for higher number of hurricanes and severe weather from hurricanes that do not make landfall. Having this annual reminder from GEMA/HS and NWS can help these communities to stay abreast of their preparedness procedures in the case of a disaster. Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) The Medical Reserve Corps is a national organization that is made up of healthcare and non-healthcare volunteers. They have several units within Georgia and work alongside the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The MCR’s goal is to help inform, strengthen, and improve the preparedness and recovery of communities (Medical Reserve Corps, n.d). During disasters, the local government and emergency medical services can be depleted very fast. MCR has the capabilities to deploy volunteers that are trained in healthcare and emergency services. This can help alleviate the stress on a community during a major disaster. They also have the ability and the people to help set up vaccine clinics to promote a healthier lifestyle throughout the year. Core Mission #5: Goal 5.3 is about responding in an effective manner during a disaster. This goal that HS has made part of their core missions helps improve response from multiple agencies in an effective manner (Hill et al., 2015). MCR is a great asset to this goal. They have the ability to use their volunteers to help in many aspects of a disaster. MCR has healthcare and
