Report: Now it's an emergency

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, September, 2007 | by Bonnie L. Cook Inquirer Staff Writer

The needs of African Americans, Hispanics, Asians and other minorities are overlooked when it comes to planning for public-health emergencies, a new report has found.

The national study, issued by a team of Drexel University researchers, said that in the last 30 years, racial and ethnic minorities figured in programs and materials related to disaster planning just 10 percent of the time.

If unaddressed, this lapse could have a profound effect on the Philadelphia suburbs, where diverse populations live and work in increasing numbers, the study's lead author says.

Until disaster-preparedness includes all groups, everyone is at risk, warned Dennis P. Andrulis, director of the Center for Health Equality at Drexel University's School of Public Health.

"If you...