Nurses fulfill a variety of roles, and their diverse responsibilities as health care providers extend to the
community. The decisions we make daily and in times of crisis often involve the balancing of human rights with
medical necessities, equitable access to services, legal and ethical mandates, and financial constraints. When
an unanticipated event occurs, such as an accident or natural disaster, issues can arise that complicate
decisions about meeting the needs of an individual or group, including understanding and upholding their rights
and desires, mediating conflict, and applying established ethical and legal standards of nursing care. As a
nurse, you must be knowledgeable about disaster preparedness to safeguard those in your care. You are also
accountable for promoting equitable quality of care for community residents.
This assessment provides an opportunity for you to apply the concepts of emergency preparedness, public
health assessment, triage, management, and surveillance after a disaster. You will also focus on hospital
evacuation and extended displacement periods.
Demonstration of Proficiency
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course
competencies and assessment criteria:
Competency 1: Analyze health risks and health care needs among distinct populations.
Describe the determinants of health and the cultural, social, and economic barriers that impact safety, health,
and disaster recovery efforts in a community.
Competency 2: Propose health promotion strategies to improve the health of populations.
Present specific, evidence-based strategies to overcome communication barriers and enhance
interprofessional collaboration to improve disaster recovery efforts.
Competency 3: Evaluate health policies, based on their ability to achieve desired outcomes.
Explain how health and governmental policy affect disaster recovery efforts.
Competency 4: Integrate principles of social justice in community health interventions.
Explain how a proposed disaster recovery plan will lessen health disparities and improve access to community
services.
Competency 5: Apply professional, scholarly communication strategies to lead health promotion and improve
population health.
Present a compelling case to community stakeholders to obtain their approval and support for a proposed
disaster recovery plan.
Note: Complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented.
Preparation
When disaster strikes, community members must be protected. A comprehensive recovery plan, guided by the
MAP-IT (Mobilize, Assess, Plan, Implement, Track) framework, is essential to help ensure everyone’s safety.
The unique needs of residents must be assessed to lessen health disparities and improve access to equitable
services after a disaster. Recovery efforts depend on the appropriateness of the plan, the extent to which key
stakeholders have been prepared, and the allocation of available resources. In a time of cost containment,
when personnel and resources may be limited, the needs of residents must be weighed carefully against
available resources.
In this assessment, you are a member of a community task force responsible for developing a disaster
recovery plan for the Vila Health community using MAP-IT, which you will present to city officials and the
disaster relief team.
To prepare for the assessment, complete the Vila Health: Disaster Recovery Scenario simulation.
In addition, you are encouraged to complete the Disaster Preparedness and Management activity. The
information gained from completing this activity will help you succeed with the assessment as you think through
key issues in disaster preparedness and management in the community or workplace. Completing activities is
also a way to demonstrate engagement.
Begin thinking about:
Community needs.
Resources, personnel, budget, and community makeup.
People accountable for implementation of the disaster recovery plan.
Healthy People 2020 goals.
A timeline for the recovery effort.
You may also wish to:
Review the MAP-IT (Mobilize, Assess, Plan, Implement, Track) framework, which you will use to guide the
development of your plan:
Mobilize collaborative partners.
Assess community needs.
Plan to lessen health disparities and improve access to services.
Implement a plan to reach Healthy People 2020 objectives.
Track community progress.
Review the assessment instructions and scoring guide to ensure that you understand the work you will be
asked to complete.
Note: Remember that you can submit all, or a portion of, your draft recovery plan to Smarthinking Tutoring for
feedback, before you submit the final version for this assessment. If you plan on using this free service, be
mindful of the turnaround time of 24–48 hours for receiving feedback.
Note: If you require the use of assistive technology or alternative communication methods to participate in this
activity, please contact DisabilityServices@capella.edu to request accommodations.
Instructions
Complete the following:
Develop a disaster recovery plan for the Vila Health community that will lessen health disparities and improve
access to services after a disaster. Refer back to the Vila Health: Disaster Recovery Scenario to understand
the Vila Health community.
Assess community needs.
Consider resources, personnel, budget, and community makeup.
Identify the people accountable for implementation of the plan and describe their roles.
Focus on specific Healthy People 2020 goals.
Include a timeline for the recovery effort.
Use the MAP-IT (Mobilize, Assess, Plan, Implement, Track) framework to guide the development of your plan:
Mobilize collaborative partners.
Plan to lessen health disparities and improve access to services.
Implement a plan to reach Healthy People 2020 objectives.
Track community progress.
Develop a slide presentation of your disaster recovery plan with an audio recording of you presenting your
assessment of the Vila Health: Disaster Recovery Scenario for city officials and the disaster relief team. Be
sure to also include speaker notes.
Presentation Format and Length
You may use Microsoft PowerPoint (preferred) or other suitable presentation software to create your slides and
add your voice-over along with speaker notes. If you elect to use an application other than PowerPoint, check
with your instructor to avoid potential file compatibility issues.
Be sure that your slide deck includes the following slides:
Title slide.
Recovery plan title.
Your name.
Date.
Course number and title.
References (at the end of your presentation).
Your slide deck should consist of 8–10 content slides plus title and references slides. Use the speaker's notes
section of each slide to develop your talking points and cite your sources as appropriate. The speaker notes
should match your recorded voice-over. Make sure to review the Microsoft PowerPoint tutorial for directions for
inserting your speaker notes.
The following resources will help you create and deliver an effective presentation:
Record a Slide Show With Narration and Slide Timings.
This Microsoft article provides steps for recording slide shows in different versions of PowerPoint, including
steps for Windows, Mac, and online.
Microsoft Office Software.
This Campus page includes tip sheets and tutorials for Microsoft PowerPoint.
PowerPoint Presentations Library Guide.
This library guide provides links to PowerPoint and other presentation software resources.
SoNHS Professional Presentation Guidelines [PPTX].
This presentation, designed especially for the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, offers valuable tips and
links, and is itself a PowerPoint template that can be used to create a presentation.
Supporting Evidence
Cite at least three credible sources from peer-reviewed journals or professional industry publications within the
past 5 years to support your plan.
Graded Requirements
The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide, so be sure to address
each point:
Describe the determinants of health and the cultural, social, and economic barriers that impact safety, health,
and recovery efforts in the community.
Consider the interrelationships among these factors.
Explain how your proposed disaster recovery plan will lessen health disparities and improve access to
community services.
Consider principles of social justice and cultural sensitivity with respect to ensuring health equity for individuals,
families, and aggregates within the community.
Explain how health and governmental policy impact disaster recovery efforts.
Consider the implications for individuals, families, and aggregates within the community of legislation that
includes, but is not limited to, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief
and Emergency Assistance Act, and the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA).
Present specific, evidence-based strategies to overcome communication barriers and enhance
interprofessional collaboration to improve the disaster recovery effort.
Consider how your proposed strategies will affect members of the disaster relief team, individuals, families, and
aggregates within the community.
Include evidence to support your strategies.
Present a compelling case to community stakeholders to obtain their approval and support for the proposed
disaster recovery plan.
Develop your presentation with a specific purpose and audience in mind.
Adhere to scholarly and disciplinary writing standards and APA formatting requirements.
Additional Requirements
Before submitting your assessment, proofread all elements to minimize errors that could distract readers and
make it difficult for them to focus on the substance of your presentation.