Telehealth and Mobile Communications: The New Frontier in Modern Emergency Preparedness

The aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti revealed how new “telehealth” technologies and mobile communications can literally be the difference between life and death when large-scale disaster strikes. While interest in these innovations has increased at the state and federal level, real-world use of, and investment in, these emergency management tools has been limited.

NOTE: The audio for this event is truncated at the very beginning, due to technical difficulties.

On April 19, the Brookings Institution hosted a policy discussion on how health technology, mobile communications and telehealth can spur more efficient and effective care for disaster survivors, as well as better equip first responders. The event also focused on the investment required to support a technologically enhanced emergency preparedness system. Darrell West, Brookings vice president and director of Governance Studies, moderated a panel of disaster relief and emergency management experts including Alexander Vo of the University of Texas at Galveston, Marion Orr of Brown University, and Joe Becker of the American Red Cross.

After the program, panelists took audience questions.