Water water everywhere in Northern Ontario

1.    What is the link to Crisis Management?

The threat of flooding in low-lying aboriginal communities has resulted in a declaration of an emergency state in Northern Ontario. As a result, 50 residents from Kashechewan were evacuated on March 24^th with another 300 residents moved on March 25^th.

2.    What stage of Crisis Management does the system appear to be at?

The system seems to be at the risk stage for the both the residents and government officials.  Firstly, this is a reoccurring concern. The article mentions that in 2005 there were high E. coli levels in the community’s drinking water as a result of the flooding. As a result, these floods are causing various safety concerns for both the residents and federal government officials.  For the First Nation people there is a risk of relocation and potentially losing their native community. For the government, there is a risk of injury, health issues and potential death of such residents and they must find a way to keep these people safe.

3.    How well does the system appear to be handling the situation?

The system is handling the situation well. Evacuation was focused on elderly residents, women, children and people with medical conditions.  The evacuation was done over the course of 2 days. Further, the government was proactive and did not wait to evacuate given that by the 25^th the risk of flooding diminished and First Nation Leaders requested a suspension of flights.  Currently the ministry of natural resources is monitoring river conditions to determine whether to move more residents out of the region and therefore the system is prepared to relocate more people if needed.

4.    What level of crisis preparedness does the system appear to have?

The system seems to have a level 4 for preparedness. Given there have been repeated evacuations over the past 8 years, they were proactive and moved individuals even before the flooding occurred. By the next day, the risk of flooding was removed. This really showed that they were prepared to move folks quickly.

From a longstanding solution standpoint, in 2006 a report by the federal government recommended relocating the flood-prone community, however the First Nation Leaders rejected the recommendation because they wanted to remain in their traditional territories.  As a result, the system is focusing on improving flood-control measures.

5.    What personal reactions/feelings does the description trigger in you?

I am surprised at how flexible the government is being with this situation.  Given that there are reoccurring floods, I would have thought they would make it mandatory for the residents to move. The only relocation option that seemed suitable to the First Nations would cost $500-million.  I was surprised at the cost of such a relocation, given there are only a few thousand residents being evacuated. I would be interested to also learn what the cost of evacuations and monitoring of such areas is in comparison to a complete relocation.

6.    What advice would you offer to those involved?

I would recommend that government official do a risk assessment and potential of harm such floods could cause. I would also recommend a cost analysis of relocation versus evacuations to decipher if the costs of relocation are much higher. As for improving flood-control measures, I would suggest the government to look at what other areas are doing, such as Japan or other countries, which have already created systems in place to deal with flooding.

I would recommend that First Nation Leaders consider relocation. As the climate continues to change there is potential for more flooding. The safety of their family and people are important and must be factored in.    

Article Sources:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/flood-threat-triggers-evacuations-at-two-ontario-aboriginal-communities/article2380676/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/evacuations-in-northern-ontario-halted-after-threat-of-flooding-subsides/article2381418/

Sports: an NFL issue

1.    What is the link to Crisis Management?

Bounties/payment have been offered in the New Orleans Saints Team to players who make a point of hurting particular appointments. This is a crisis management issue as it goes beyond the rules of any sporting contest, intentionally hurting an individual for a financial incentive.

2.    What stage of Crisis Management does the system appear to be at?

The system is at an issues stage for the NFL Corporation and the government.  The NFL Commissioner needs to decide what penalties to give players who were involved in the Saints’ scheme from 2009-11.  For the government, the assistant Senate is examining whether federal law should make this bounty system a crime.

For the New Orleans Saint’s head coach and defensive coordinator, this is a risk as they have been suspended. For the team this is also a risk as the team was docked two second-round draft picks and $500,000.

3.    How well does the system appear to be handling the situation?

The system is handling the well.  Senator Dick Durbin has set up a judiciary committee hearing about bounties in professional football. Further he has addressed the need with standards to ensure that this doesn’t happen again and are exploring whether it is necessary to have federal legislation.

4.    What level of crisis preparedness does the system appear to have?

The system has a level 1 for preparedness.  They didn’t foresee this would happen, that in a sporting contest, one would be paid to intentionally harm another person. The system did not have anything in place to address the issue, since it was the first to be revealed.

5.    What personal reactions/feelings does the description trigger in you?

I do not consider myself an NFL fan and when I first read this story what caught my eye was the differentiation between what is considered wrong in society and what is considered wrong in sports. If an individual paid a hit man to kill someone, there would be penalties of jail time. In the case of the NFL, they are doing an investigation on the case and only the head of coach has been suspended for a year.  Further I was surprised that the players involved were not suspended or under review at this point in time.

6.    What advice would you offer to those involved?

Similar to regulation of drugs and steroids in sports, regulations will need to be in place to ensure that teams are not giving bounties/payments under the table or behind closed doors I would suggest then that the NFL corporation and government need to decide what those regulations should be. This should be an open and transparent process that is available to the public. Further, the Saints Team will need to build their brand and reputation back, especially the head coach. Communications as this issue progresses should be honest in order to build back the credibility of fans.

Article Source:
 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/football/senator-calls-hearing-to-examine-bounties-in-nfl/article2378805/

Drifting in the ocean

1.    What is the link to Crisis Management?

The tsunami that occurred last year was a devastating natural disaster. Fear was raised

In those who live in the surrounding area that radiation, which is undetected and is airborne would travel and affect those in Japan. At the extreme, some experts were saying this could be the next Chernobyl, which raised fears that if the radiation effects were bad enough, they could affect everyone in surrounding areas through wind travel.  Now that an entire vessel has been spotted in the British Columbia coast identified as coming from Hokkaido, more concerns of what other debris might be travelling in the water.

2.    What stage of Crisis Management does the system appear to be at?

The system seems to be at the issues stage since this specific vessel has no environmental damage and is believed that no one is on board the ship.  However, the vessel does pose a potential navigational hazard to those travelling in the coast and therefore they need to be warned.

For those who are concerned of debris in the ocean or airborne issues of radiation, this would be at a risk stage since this is one of the first boats that have been spotted in the British Columbia coast.

3.    How well does the system appear to be handling the situation?

The system seems to handling the situation appropriately.  The federal government has issued a warning out to mariners about the vessel. Further, they are informing the public about this through the paper, which is important for individuals to know about what has happened even though the earthquake happened over a year ago.

4.    What level of crisis preparedness does the system appear to have?

The system would be given a 2.5/5 for preparedness. It seems that there is a joint rescue co-ordination center that has been contracted by the federal government to spot debris like this. However, given they have identified as much as five million tonnes of debris were swept in the ocean, there isn’t really a plan in place (or at least not mentioned) to deal with this. In this instance there was no bodies. However, given there are still people missing, there is a possibility that a body would be swept up into the coast.

5.    What personal reactions/feelings does the description trigger in you?

I was surprised that an entire vessel travelled from Japan to British Columbia. Having followed the case with the earthquake in Japan closely last year, there was talk of air travel with radiation being picked up with the ocean’s wind current. Now that an entire vessel has made its way to Canada, I wouldn’t be surprised if radiation affects also us here. Perhaps not to the extent that are harmful at this point, but no doubt if there as an earthquake that caused the next Chernobyl, I would be concerned with what is traveling across bodies of water and through the air.

6.    What advice would you offer to those involved?

My advice would be to communicate a crisis management plan in the even that within the debris there is a plan to deal with any higher risk item such as a dead body, in a vessel or uncontained that has brushed up onto shore, what harboring diseases they are looking into as well as what effects airborne issues have. The public would want to know and be rest assured that they there is someone in place or a department that are looking at the risk factors and issues that could arise from these natural disasters. 


Article Source: 
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/boat-linked-to-japans-earthquake-tsunami-drifts-toward-bc-shore/article2380212/

Luck of the Irish missed for Fanshawe students

1.    What is the link to Crisis Management?

St. Patrick’s day, there was a riot that started at a local subdivision where many local students live from Fanshawe College. This is the largest riot in Southwestern Ontario’s city history. When policemen tried to control the festivities, revelers fought back smashing cruisers causing officers to retreat from the scene. A CTV vehicle that was overturned which resulted one woman to have burns from the exploding fuel tank. As a result of this, local residents don’t feel safe in the area.

2.    What stage of Crisis Management does the system appear to be at?

The system seems to be at the issues stage for the local police in the area and for the Fanshawe president Howard Rundle. They are coming up with ideas to mitigate the risk of this happening again and are taking the necessary action against those students that were arrested.

For the students who have been arrested and suspended pending the outcome of their cases and local residents that live in the area, this is at a risk stage. The students who are suspended are at risk of being suspended completely from Fanshawe College, and further are at risk of having a criminal record depending on the outcome of their cases. For the residents, local safety is an issue. One lady who lived in the area expressed that she spent much of the riot in her basement with her 6 children and is no looking for a new home. Other residents will also have the same concerns for their safety and the safety of their children.

3.    How well does the system appear to be handling the situation?

The system seems to handling the situation appropriately. City Councilor is looking to potentially have a satellite police station near Fleming drive to keep future parties under control. Fanshawe president is looking to craft bylaws to limit the number of students that live in that area. Further, corrective action is being taken against those who were arrested at the scene.

4.    What level of crisis preparedness does the system appear to have?

The system handled the situation poorly. Since ‘parties are a staple of the street’ and have led to brawls and arrests in the past, the city and local police should have been prepared for a riot of this scale. Especially since there was the riot in BC as well as the riot at Queens University a few years back, this situation is definitely a probable scenario. Even though police tried to control the festivities the crowd fought back and things got worse when officers retreated. They flipped a car, which then exploded, and it wasn’t before dawn police moved in and ended the party.

5.    What personal reactions/feelings does the description trigger in you?

I was initially confused whether this happened in London England, and when I knew it was in London I automatically assumed it was Western University and therefore I was surprised when I learned that it was Fanshawe college. Having been an undergraduate student myself, and attending events like homecoming at Queen’s, riots as such happen spontaneously and police have often angered and provoked students even more.  This situation comes to me as no surprise as result.

6.    What advice would you offer to those involved?

I would suggest that they have a plan in place before the party has started before letting it get out of control. Further, clearly those that attended the street party did not respect and disregarded the force of police. Unfortunately when dealing with students who are under the influence, sometimes you need to set an example of the kind of force you will need to take to ensure people understand who is control- in this situation because police power was not big enough initially, the students realized quickly they had the power and abused the situation.

My advice to students would be similar to those in the article- with the prevalence of smart phones with ability to take videos and photos that can be uploaded instantly and sent virally, I would caution them to be smart when drinking.  I do agree that images can be taken out of context, especially for those who are at the wrong place at the wrong time. Therefore, it is really important to ensure that when things get out of hand, you live the premises. 


Article Source:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/two-more-arrested-after-st-patricks-day-riot-in-london/article2376644/

Day time or Night time? That is the question.

1.    What is the link to Crisis Management?

There was a labeling error on a combo pack of Rexall caplets reversing daytime and nighttime medications.  This has potential to become an issue/crisis as nighttime pills contain a sleep aid, which can cause drowsiness and a potential danger to those who are taking such medications and may be doing any activities such as operating a vehicle.

2.    What stage of Crisis Management does the system appear to be at?

The system appears to be at high risk as customers have already purchased this medication across the country. Further the high risk stems from the fact that there is high potential of safety consequences as serious accidents have occurred with the intake of diphenhydramine, a sedative chemical found in nighttime medications.

3.    How well does the system appear to be handling the situation?

The system seems to be handling this well. Though I have quoted an article from the Bradford Times, when I googled this incident, all local papers across Canada seem have communicated this message that Health Canada has issued. Furthermore, they have indicated the lot number and a picture of  the product  so customers are aware if they have the recalled medication.

4.    What level of crisis preparedness does the system appear to have?

     I believe the system has a 3 in terms of preparedness. They communicated the message in a timely manner to the public and have provided details of what the product is. What lacks in their crisis preparendess, though is widely communicated, is more information given to the public- are there refunds or exchanges for the package that has been labelled.

5.    What personal reactions/feelings does the description trigger in you?

I found it interesting that this wasn’t mentioned in larger papers such as Globe and Mail or Toronto Star. The only paper that printed this article was the Sun and further smaller local papers. Though nothing has happened, it would seem natural that papers would want to communicate this information to the public has there is potential of a crisis or hazardous situation.  I would be surprised though if there wasn’t an article posted on all papers if such a situation did occur.

6.    What advice would you offer to those involved?

I would suggest Rexall to do more due diligence regarding this.  When looking on their website, you cannot locate the actual recall. Furthermore, more detail could be given out to the public on what to expect, where they can actually find the number for the affected lot number (as there are often so many numbers on packaging) and if there is a refund/exchange policy as a result of this. All papers should really have this advertised, including large paper’s such as The Globe and Mail as customers are fully consuming the product with no conception that there is a sleeping aid in there day time medication.  I would also suggest that the company apologize for this mishap, as all communications on local papers are from Health Canada. 

Article Source:
http://www.bradfordtimes.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3499558&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

http://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3499558

Unintentional Overdose, Unintentional Death

1.    What is the link to Crisis Management?

As the story unfolds with the removal of Oxycontin and OxyNeo from the formulary, Physicians and Pharmacists are switching patients from these drugs to other opioids, which has led to the death of a man who was given the wrong dosage (an overdose) for his chronic pain. As a result of an earlier change that was made by different provinces, a potential crisis has risen as it is evident education is required on the proper dosing of these alternative opioids to Physicians and Pharmacists.

2.    What stage of Crisis Management does the system appear to be at?

The system seems to at the risk stage for the drug regulation board, Provincial Pharmacy Associations and Provincial Medical Associations. There has been one reported fatal death and it is clear physicians are not aware of the proper course of treatment for other opioids. Stricter regulations and more training is needed on common substitutes to ensure no further deaths occur leading this risk to then become a crisis in the health care system.

For the regional health folks in Northwestern Ontario, such as the Doctor, the Pharmacist and the family of this man who died, this is a crisis. Essentially, the Physician will need to file a report and take responsibility for the prescription he gave. The Ontario Medical Association will need to assist with any court rulings etc if the family is to sue the Physician.

3.    How well does the system appear to be handling the situation?

The system seems to be handling the situation well. The coroner has addressed and found the reason of death in a timely manner (which can be lengthy at times).  Further, Dr. Wilson has sent an advisory to both the Ontario Pharmacist Association and the College of Physicians and Surgeons to work together to determine the appropriate dosage.  Less than 1 percent of opioids are due to medical error and therefore the guidelines in place should be sufficient. Also, the article does outline and educate the public on why physicians have not had time to read such guidelines given the complexity of their schedule and therefore builds a story for the need for re-education.

4.    What level of crisis preparedness does the system appear to have?

The system is at a level 3 based on a 5-point scale since the information guidelines are available, however because they were too long, physicians were not reading them. Furthermore, these guidelines are not binding and therefore some physicians remain in the dark about the proper treatment. There currently are no penalties imposed so it is difficult to build Physician accountability into the system. As a result, more training is necessary and stricter mandatory guidelines need to be imposed.

5.    What personal reactions/feelings does the description trigger in you?

I was shocked it happened so quickly. I expected the system could not foresee that something like this would happen in my earlier post but I didn’t suspect that it would be a Physician dosing issue.  Physicians have a fiduciary responsibility to provide safe and quality care and therefore even though the guideline is long, they should be reviewing this to ensure that they are providing the best care. The system should also be able to build some accountability for Physicians to meet such regulations

6.    What advice would you offer to those involved?

I would continue to advise the provinces to work together and form a committee to address the re-education of Physicians and Pharmacists. Further, the system should build in an accountability framework for Physicians to read such guidelines. The Ontario Medical Association should provide an update and a statement on this to the public that they are ensuring the safety of patients. 


Article Source: 
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/new-health/health-news/fatal-overdose-sparks-warning-about-switch-from-oxycontin/article2359721/

Delisted! Oxycontin & OxyNeo

1.    What is the link to Crisis Management?

Certain provinces have decided to remove public funding of OxyContin and OxyNeo from provincial formularies and therefore government will not cover the costs. This is in response to battle against the widespread and growing addiction of opioids. However, the move to do this does not solve the widespread addiction and may further drive a black market for these opioids from drug addicts.

2.    What stage of Crisis Management does the system appear to be at?

The system seems to be at the issue stage at the cusp of a risk since this change has just been announced. Though they have made this small change, in general, the removal of public funding doesn’t address the issue of drug abuse within the system. This coupled with the fact that there a lot of other options out there means that the system will still need to address the risks that exist with drug abuse. This is a crisis stage for Abott as removal of any drug off the formulary results in major losses in sales and revenues for the company. 

3.    How well does the system appear to be handling the situation?

The system appears to be handing the situation moderately. Granted that changes in government take time, this small step does progress towards the right direction. Further, though the drug has been delisted, it still will be available for those who have existing prescriptions for the old drug and for cancer and palliative-care patients.  The system would be handling the situation better if they could address the concern of a potential larger black market. Also the system has also delisted OxyNeo which is suppose to more difficult to crush and breakdown. This seems counter intuitive, as the medication would really be used to treat pain versus used to get high.

4.    What level of crisis preparedness does the system appear to have?

     I would say the system has a level 2.5 in terms of prepardness as they are announcing removal of         both drugs now and communicating this information to the public. However, there are still many issues that need to be addressed and I am unsure if the system at this point has a plan to address different scenarios that may arise from the removal of this drug.

5.    What personal reactions/feelings does the description trigger in you?

I am surprised at the move to delist the drug, as it doesn’t solve any major issues since the drug is still available to those with private insurance policies.  The system is addressing a symptom of the issue rather than the root cause. Also, no doubt the switch will cause other issues within the system that have yet to be identified. I would be interested to see what happens as the changes come into effect. 

6.    What advice would you offer to those involved?

I would advise the provinces to work together and form a committee, to first address what potential issues may arise as a result of this change, scan the environment for potential risks arising and have a risk management plan to deal with these potential issues as well as a communication plan to the public. Further, the committee should have a plan to manage and deal with the potential  of a larger and more aggressive black market for such drugs.


Article Source:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/new-health/conditions/addiction/health-addiction/oxycontin-delisting-not-the-answer-to-opioid-addiction-experts-say/article2349474/