Pandemics. Political instability. Natural Disasters. In today’s world, it is important to prepare your workforce for the unexpected. As a health, well-being or benefits leader, understanding your role in Global Emergency Preparedness is essential to ensure your company’s plan effectively assists employees in an emergency, and allows for business continuity.
A robust plan needs to take into account the preparedness at a national level, and that can vary significantly by country. What is the infrastructure and underlying health system capabilities during an emergency? In a global economy with mobile workforce on the rise, the employee audience is also varied. The needs of a local employee versus an expat versus a business traveler could differ in terms of their familiarity with surroundings and ability to find resources quickly in an emergency.
Companies can better prepare employees for emergencies if they know a country’s capacity and capability to respond when an emergency arises. The Joint External Evaluation (JEE) mission reports offers external evaluation to assess country-specific capacity to “prevent, detect and rapidly respond” to deliberate, natural or accidental public health risks.
We explored this topic with an expert panel in the breakout session “Navigating Emergency Preparedness” at the inaugural Global Summit. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) shared how countries are assessed for emergency preparedness and how capabilities differ. Joining the CDC, Dr. Dan Ober, Chief Medical Officer of Cigna International, Dr. Lori Stetz, Senior Medical Director of Aetna International; and Eva Tsui, Health Solutions Director from Bupa Global, shared stories of what has been experienced by employers and how companies can prepare to respond to emergencies.
Learn more from the Business Group’s Emergency Preparedness & Response resources.
