Spatial Analysis Informs Emergency Preparedness Decisions at the Puerto Rico Health Depaprtment

This session presented by the Puerto Rico Health Department will focus on the use of the Spatial decision support system for emergency response planning, using two emergency scenarios — hurricanes and pandemic influenza — to demonstrate how vulnerable populations and healthcare resources are mapped to identify response needs. Several maps were made that permitted the comparison between the areas where vulnerable populations are located, and the locations of healthcare facilities, medical shelters, vaccine distributions centers, and antivirals points of dispensing. This allowed the health department to identify gaps in emergency response resources and of municipalities in which to focus efforts to develop cooperation agreements to establish these services and facilities.