b'GREATER MONADNOCK COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN 2015-2018 What Can Be Done?vulnerablepopulationslivinginacommunity,andreachingoutto thesegroupsinadvanceofadisasteroremergencytobetter Given that resources are limited in the wake of an emergency, it isunderstandtheirneeds.TheGreaterMonadnockPublicHealth likely that communities will be the first to respond and may be on theirNetwork (GMPHN), in partnership with the Regions major hospitals, own for hours or potentially days before help arrives from regional,recently developed a guide for healthcare providers and community stateand/orfederalsources.Inthesehours,townsmustlooktopartners in the Region on how to interact with vulnerable populations themselves and their neighbors for answers and assistance.For thisin emergencies or disasters. reasonandothers,itisimperativethatcommunitiesbuild preparednessandlocalresponsecapabilitiesaswellasoverall resilience in advance of a disaster or emergency. While many communities in the Region have in place plans and trained volunteers to respond to a disaster or emergency, building resilience is an ongoing task.To improve resilience within the Region, we must routinely assess our capacity to meet the needs of our population in the event of an emergency; enhance local and regional planning for potentialdisastersandemergencies;and,ensurethatwehave sufficient and reliable infrastructure to access food, water, shelter, and other necessities and to maintain channels of communication.Regionalemergencypreparednessisimportanttohelpidentify vulnerable populations and help them better prepare for emergencies.Withthisdataemergencyrespondersareabletobetteraddress regionalneedsaswellasfocusandtailoremergencypreparedness efforts based on the population and geographical sub-region.During an emergency, information sharing and situational awareness is very important.Addressing the great diversity of special health and medicalconcernsofvulnerablepopulations,languageandcultural barriers, and other life circumstances in an emergency presents many challenges for emergency management professionals and volunteers.However,themorepreparedemergencymanagersareforhandling these needs in advance, the more successful the response and recovery effortwillbe.Preparednesscaninvolveattendingtrainingsonthis topic,becomingbetterinformedofthetypesandlocationsof 50'