W4 D1 Kramer Response

Not so long ago, President Trump was considering shutting down the US border with Mexico.  This was in response to an increased number of immigrants flooding the border from Central America.  Although this would certainly stop people from coming across, this would also stop any commercial traffic and trade from Mexico.  The US and Mexico would both suffer significant losses of revenue if this occurred. Closing the entire U.S. border with Mexico would also put the brakes on more than $1.6 billion worth of goods that cross back and forth every day, including 50 million pounds of fresh Mexican produce that now fills 100 warehouses in Nogales, Ariz. “We don’t just trade with each other. We’re making things together,” said Kristin Dziczek, vice president of the Center for Automotive Research in Michigan. “Mexico is a source of 37 percent of all imported auto parts to the U.S. Every vehicle has Mexican parts in it” (Horsley, 2019).  People who were visiting family across the border could possibly be trapped on one side or the other.  Legal immigration would also have to be halted.  Our relationship with the country of Mexico would be damaged severely (even more so than it is now).  Many people in the government have suggested that a better solution to the problem of immigration would be to expand facilities at larger checkpoints and hire many more judges to deal with the legal issues.  Illegal immigration is definitely a problem, but there are solutions that are humane and are in keeping with our values as a nation of immigrants.

Reference

Horsley, S. (2019). If Trump Closes Mexican Border, U.S. Economy Could See Big Disruption. Retrieved from  

Process Analysis:

Issue Identification:  Because of the increasing instances of active shooters, terrorists and more frequent and intense natural disasters, hospitals must prepare for these situations ahead of time to be more effective and to mitigate casualties when the situations arise.  

Mitigation Strategy:  Many major hospitals around the country are participating in disaster drills where the staff simulates a disaster.  This allows for training exercises in areas like triage, transport, communication, evacuation, and other emergency response protocols.  The existing evidence suggests that hospital disaster drills are effective in allowing hospital employees to become familiar with disaster procedures, identify problems in different components of response (e.g., incident command, communications, triage, patient flow, materials and resources, and security) and provide the opportunity to apply lessons learned to disaster response. The strength of evidence on other training methods is insufficient to draw valid recommendations (Hsu et. al., 2004). It is also important to involve the local police and fire departments so that all agencies can work as a team when major problems arise.  Communication between these entities is very important to quicken response times and efficiency in delivering services to the public.

Cost Analysis:  Although these training drills can cost the hospitals and other agencies time and money, being prepared for major disasters will, in the long run, actually save money and, most importantly, people’s lives.  For example, cities that are affected by flooding, if they prepare by fortifying levees and flow diversion, will suffer less damage and loss of life.

Reference

Hsu, E., Jenckes, M., Catlett, C., Robinson, K., Feuerstein, C., Cosgrove, S., . . . Bass, E. (2004). Effectiveness of Hospital Staff Mass-Casualty Incident Training Methods: A Systematic Literature Review. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 19(3), 191-199. doi:10.1017/S1049023X00001771