How to Lead During Bioattacks with the Public’s

Transcript:How to Lead During Bioattacks with the Public’s:
How to Lead During Bioattacks with the Public’s Trust and Help A Manual for Mayors, Governors, and Top Health Officials UPMC CENTER FOR BIOSECURITY Presentation Overview Purpose – Anticipate and Avert Governing “Trouble Spots” that Arise during Epidemics Presentation Overview Set forth strategic goals that distinguish effective, compassionate leadership in epidemics Illustrate circumstances posed by bioattacks that further complicate response to the health crisis Identify dilemmas of governing that commonly arise during epidemics – “natural” or “deliberate” Recommend principles and actions for averting and/or remedying such predicaments Working Group on ‘Governance Dilemmas’ in Bioterrorism Response Presentation Overview Convened by UPMC Biosecurity Center staff, Feb 2003 to Feb 2004 Thirty members including seasoned political and public health decision-makers Consensus statement – Biosecurity & Bioterrorism 2004;2(1):25-40 Experience, professional judgment & evidence obtained by literature review What defines ‘leadership’ during an epidemic or biological attack? Dynamic Collaboration with the Public – Essential Means to Strategic Aims Swifter resolution of immediate health crisis Enhanced social and economic resilience of affected communities Continuity of fundamental democratic values and processes Successful Leadership – Strategic Goals Strategic Goals Limit death and suffering through proper preventive, curative, and supportive care Defend civil liberties by using least restrictive interventions to control spread of disease Preserve economic stability, managing impact on victims and hard-hit locales Discourage scapegoating and stigmatization Bolster ability of individuals and groups to rebound from traumatic events Successful Leadership – Strategic Goals Why do biological attacks present special challenges and high-stakes decisions for leaders? Epidemics Are Complex Phenomena due to Unfolding Biology and Competing Social Aims Bioattacks – Unique Challenges Troubling to consider – leaders and the public may deny problem or intervene too quickly without regard to negative effects. People need to make sense of random and terrifying events, but epidemics elude quick and easy explanation. Mysterious diseases can trigger impulse to isolate oneself and blame others, or to care for victims without regard to one’s own safety. Bioattacks – Unique Challenges Modern Conditions Disperse Impacts More Quickly, Make Some People More Vulnerable Global, round-the-clock news reports cause fear and dread and in places far from immediate harm. Today’s transportation moves people quickly across vast distances, potentially accelerating spread of disease. Epidemics have broad, indirect financial impacts due to close ties among global, national, and local economies. Poverty, lack of insurance, and distrust of healthcare system make those most vulnerable during outbreaks the least able to