Government response to COVID-19: Gaps revealed

Tom Barth, PhD; Kevin Staley, MPA; Chris Gonyar, MPA; John Combs, MPA; Shawn Kiley, MPA

doi:10.5055/jem.0592

Authors

Tom Barth, PhD https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4462-2405
Kevin Staley, MPA
Chris Gonyar, MPA
John Combs, MPA
Shawn Kiley, MPA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.0592

Keywords:

disaster management, public health crisis, disaster preparedness

Abstract

Drawing on the diverse perspectives of four emergency management professionals and a public administration academic, gaps revealed by our nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic are discussed. These gaps range from political theory regarding our government system of federalism to fundamental questions around the public communication of risk management and the provision of mass shelter and care.

Author Biographies

Tom Barth, PhD

University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina

Kevin Staley, MPA

Part-Time Instructor, MPA Program, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina; Member, FEMA National Advisory Council, Charlotte, North Carolina

Chris Gonyar, MPA

Director of Emergency Management, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina

John Combs, MPA

Federal Employee, Retired Law Enforcement Officer, Army Wellness Center, Department of Public Health, Charlotte, North Carolina

Shawn Kiley, MPA

Senior Corporate Business Continuity Consultant, Enterprise Risk Management, TIAA, Charlotte, North Carolina

References

Gonyar C: Director of emergency management. UNC Charlotte. Personal communication, April 14, 2020.

Donthu N, Gustaffson A: Effects of COVID-19 on business and research. J Bus Res. 2020; 117: 284-289.

Yong Ed: How the pandemic will end. The Atlantic. 2020. Available at https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/03/how-will-coronavirus-end/608719/. Accessed April 15, 2020.

Staley K: Member, FEMA National Advisory Council and former Deputy Director, Mecklenburg EMS agency. Personal communication, April 26, 2020.

Deverel E, Olsson EK: Organizational culture effects on strategy and adaptability in crisis management. Risk Manage. 2010; 12(2): 116-134.

Kiley S: Senior corporate business continuity consultant/enterprise risk management. TIAA. Personal communication, April 15, 2020.

Pan SL, Pan G, Devadoss PR: E-Government capabilities and crisis management: Lessons from combatting SARS in Singapore. MIS Q Exe. 2005; 4(4): 385-397.

Raunig BL, Kesselheim AS, Darrow JJ: Drug shortages and the defense production act. Am J Public Health. 2020; 110(10): 1504-1505.

Watkins E, Spoehr T: The defense production act: An important national security tool, but it requires work. The Heritage Foundation, October 15 2019. Available at https://www.heritage.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/BG3443.pdf. Accessed April 15, 2020.

Dubey R, Gunasekaran A, Childe SJ, et al.: Empirical investigation of data analytics capability and organizational flexibility as complements to supply chain resilience. Int J Prod Res. 2019. DOI: 10.1080/00207543.2019.1582820.

Busch NE, Givens AD: Achieving resilience in disaster management: The role of public-private partnerships. J Strategic Security. 2013; 6(2): 1-19.

Combs J: Retired federal employee and law enforcement officer. Personal communication, April 20, 2020.

Vyas R, Albright S, Walker D, et al.: Clinical training at remote sites using mobile technology: An India-USA partnership. Distance Educ. 2010; 31(2): 211-226. DOI: 10.1080/01587919.2010.498856.

Birkland T, Waterman S: Is federalism the reason for policy failure in Hurricane Katrina? Publius. 2008; 38(4): 692-714.

Scavo C, Kearney R, Kilroy RJ: Challenges to federalism: Homeland security and disaster response. Publius. 2007; 38(1): 81-110.

Abbott EB: Law, federalism, the constitution and control of pandemic flu. HeinOnline 9APLPJ185 (2007-2008). 2008.

Scott N: Refuge of last resort: Five days inside the superdome for Hurricane Katrina. USA Today. August 24, 2015. Available at https://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/refuge-of-last-resort-five-daysinside-the-superdome-for-hurricane-katrina. Accessed April 15, 2020.

Hick J, Barbera J, Kelen G: Refining surge capacity: Conventional, contingency and crisis capacity. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2009; 3(S1): S59-S67.

Pattillo MM, Day TO: Disaster response: The university of Texas school of nursing experience. Nurs Health Sci. 2009; 11: 378-381.

Kim DK, Kreps GL: An analysis of government communication in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic: Recommendations for effective government health risk communication. World Med Health Policy. 2020; 12: 398-412.

Christensen T, Laegreidi P, Rykkja LH: Organizing for crisis management. Building governance capacity and legitimacy. Public Administration Review. 2016; November/December: 887-897.

Reynolds B, Crouse Quinn S: Effective communication during an influenza pandemic: The value of using a crisis and emergency risk communication framework. Health Promot Pract. 2008; 9: 13S-17S. DOI: 10.1177/1524839908325267.

Rodr’Iguez H, D’Iaz W, Santos JM, et al.: Communicating risk and uncertainty: Science, technology, and disasters at the crossroads. In Handbook of Disaster Research. Handbook of Disaster Research. Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research. New York, NY: Springer, 2007.

Vaughan E, Tinker T: Influenza preparedness and response for vulnerable populations. Am J Public Health. 2009; 99(S2): S324-S332.

Resnick DB: 2009. Playing Politics with Science. Oxford: New York.

Sarkki SJ, Niemela R, Tinch S, et al.: Balancing credibility, relevance and legitimacy: A critical assessment of trade-offs in science-policy interfaces. Sci Public Policy. 2014; 41(2): 194-206.