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. 2013 Jul;103(7):1190-7.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301268. Epub 2013 May 16.

Building community disaster resilience: perspectives from a large urban county department of public health

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Building community disaster resilience: perspectives from a large urban county department of public health

Alonzo Plough et al. Am J Public Health. 2013 Jul.

Abstract

An emerging approach to public health emergency preparedness and response, community resilience encompasses individual preparedness as well as establishing a supportive social context in communities to withstand and recover from disasters. We examine why building community resilience has become a key component of national policy across multiple federal agencies and discuss the core principles embodied in community resilience theory-specifically, the focus on incorporating equity and social justice considerations in preparedness planning and response. We also examine the challenges of integrating community resilience with traditional public health practices and the importance of developing metrics for evaluation and strategic planning purposes. Using the example of the Los Angeles County Community Disaster Resilience Project, we discuss our experience and perspective from a large urban county to better understand how to implement a community resilience framework in public health practice.

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Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
“Houses” ad for Los Angeles County Department of Public Health community resilience social media campaign, launched January 2013.
FIGURE 2—
FIGURE 2—
“People” ad for Los Angeles County Department of Public Health community resilience social media campaign, launched January 2013.

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