Global Nursing in Action
FREE Webinar! I’m excited to share this upcoming event featuring Sophia Specht, MSN, AGACNP-BC, CEN, VA-BC, NY-SAFE, a powerhouse nurse practitioner and global health responder who recently returned from medical missions in the Dominican Republic. Sophia will be highlighting how emergency nurses, EMS providers, and interdisciplinary teams delivered essential care, built trust with local communities, […]
Gratitude and Preparedness: Home for the Holidays
As families gather for the holidays, most people don’t think about disasters. Yet house fires, cooking injuries, and carbon-monoxide poisonings peak this time of year. Gratitude and preparedness can coexist, in fact, they should. Every year, I remind myself that safety is an act of love. Checking smoke detectors before a big meal or keeping […]
Mass Casualty Events: Lessons from Chaos
Mass casualty incidents are the moments when everything we’ve trained for is tested. As a nurse, I’ve learned that amid chaos, clarity saves lives. You don’t have time to debate; you act. You triage, communicate, and move forward, sometimes before you’ve had time to process what you’ve seen. These events challenge our emotional and ethical […]
Humanitarian Logistics: The Lifeline Behind the Lines
Every disaster response hinges on one invisible element, logistics. Without it, even the best-trained teams and the most generous donations can falter. I once stood in a warehouse filled with supplies that couldn’t reach survivors because the roads were gone. It was a lesson in how timing, coordination, and communication are as vital as compassion. […]
When the Power Goes Out: Caring for the Medically Fragile
I’ll never forget the sound of silence when the generators failed. Ventilators stopped. Alarms went dark. That moment taught me that power outages aren’t inconveniences, they’re medical emergencies. For patients who rely on oxygen, dialysis, or refrigerated medication, a blackout can be deadly. Families need plans for backup power, medical identification, and evacuation routes to […]
The Next Global Disaster: Antimicrobial Resistance
When antibiotics stop working, every wound becomes dangerous, every infection a gamble. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a slow-moving disaster, invisible but lethal. In my field experience, I’ve seen how easily overuse and misuse of antibiotics compound in disaster zones, where sanitation is poor and resources are limited. What begins as life-saving treatment can become life-threatening […]
Climate Migration: The Human Cost of Environmental Displacement
Climate change doesn’t just alter weather; it alters lives. Rising seas, failing crops, and prolonged droughts force families to leave behind everything familiar. I’ve met migrants who carried not suitcases, but memories, photos of homes now underwater, birth certificates from towns that no longer exist. Displacement isn’t just movement; it’s mourning. People lose community, identity, […]
The Overlooked Evacuees: Animals in Disaster Planning
In every evacuation shelter I’ve worked in, there’s always someone crying not for their home, but for their pet they had to leave behind. Animals are part of our families, yet they’re often left out of emergency planning. During hurricanes and wildfires, I’ve seen responders adapt, setting up pet shelters, coordinating with veterinarians, even comforting […]
Little Lives, Big Lessons: Supporting Children in Disaster Recovery
Children see disasters differently. Their world is smaller, so when it shatters, the pieces are harder to pick up. I’ve sat with children who couldn’t sleep because the wind reminded them of the storm, who wouldn’t play because their toys were gone, or who clung to responders as if safety itself wore a uniform. Recovery […]
Health Equity: The Unseen Divide in Disaster Response
Every disaster magnifies inequity. Who gets the alert? Who can evacuate? Who has insurance, transportation, or even the language skills to understand what’s happening? I’ve seen people left behind not because they didn’t care, but because the system didn’t care enough to reach them. Health equity is the backbone of true disaster preparedness. If we […]