Linkages of acute care and ems to state and local public health programs: Application to public health programs

Response to terrorism and mass casualty incidents has become a focal point for many public service agencies. Public health agencies and the emergency response community must work together to effectively and efficiently respond to any future incidents. Historically, collaboration has been a challenge since these agencies have functioned independently from one another, maintaining separate infrastructures that are not adequately interoperable. This article will summarize the consensus achieved during a meeting of multidisciplinary stakeholders held to discuss linkages between acute care, emergency medical services, and public health. The relevancy of these findings to public health, as well as the benefits from development of an interoperable infrastructure to public health, will be opined.