Emergency preparedness in the Muslim community

Fort Worth, TX

5/19/2008

As part of the nursing curriculum at the Harris College of Nursing, students take a community health practicum course. This semester a group of nursing students tackled the area of safety and emergency preparedness in the Muslim community, specifically at Al-Hedayah Academy in Tarrant County.

The project was partnered with organizations like Tarrant County Public Health, Fort Worth Police and Fort Worth Fire Department, and Med-Star emergency Services. Emergency preparedness in Muslim communities is often overlooked, because the community tends not to live in a centralized location. By holding a fair in an Islamic center, the community can learn how to prepare for an emergency in a central and familiar location.

In response to a successful emergency preparedness fair held by a TCU clinical group in the fall 2007 semester at another Islamic center, this semester’s clinical group offered a similar educational fair for the Al-Hedayah Academy, the first full-time Islamic school in Tarrant County.

The academy is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and offers pre-kindergarten through ninth grade classes to 187 students. Its mission is to provide students of diverse backgrounds with educational opportunities by inspiring students to pursue excellence in a risk-free environment, conducive to the development of a strong Islamic moral character.

Nursing students at TCU researched the Islamic community, surrounding area, and the Al-Hedayah Academy to determine the available resources pertaining to health and safety, then developed a fair surrounding their conclusions.

The Emergency Preparedness Fair ranged from topics such as fire and natural disasters like tornados to water safety and identity protection. Nursing students encouraged participants to create an emergency preparedness kit and communication plan, while explaining the potential disasters at designated stations.

Each station explained about the potential harm in a specific disaster, then helped show ways to prepare and react to the disaster. Participants received handouts at each station to take home and share with their families.

The nursing students were thorough in preparing a fair for a community that might have a language or cultural barrier. Stations were labeled with images showing the topic, and nursing students wore appropriate attire to show cultural sensitivity and professionalism.

The fair was well received by the participants. An overwhelming majority rated the fair highly and said they were planning on creating a home disaster kit or communication plan.

For TCU nursing students, this project was an opportunity to work outside of a classroom, and to experience another culture while creating a fair to prepare for emergencies.