Situation Report

ROLL CALL                                     Oct. 27, 20144
By Melanie Zanona

Although Congress has publicly fretted over the threat of infectious disease pandemics, there have been few legislative attempts in the last two decades to address such health emergencies, leaving lawmakers with a limited set of policy options as they try to contain the Ebola outbreak.

Measures targeting deadly diseases have been largely crafted through the prism of bioterrorism threats, as opposed to naturally occurring outbreaks, such as swine flu and severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS.

“After 9/11 and the anthrax scares, there was starting to be a lot of attention and money being pumped into public health emergency preparedness and response, but by 2008, there started to be a downturn,” said Seth Foldy, associate professor of family and community medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin and former Milwaukee health commissioner. “It bumped up again after H1N1, but then the funding slide began to kick in. There hasn’t been much sustained and strategic attention on the issue.”

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Resilience, being able to bounce back or cope with difficult events, is helpful when thinking about coping with the stress of having a child with a chronic illness such as epilepsy. The stress can increase if the child also has a behavioral or mental health issue. Resilience is the idea that we develop strength in response to stress, and we can use that strength to help us get through trying situations. It can be summed up in the old adage, “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” It is our strengths plus the coping mechanisms we develop that help us.

CLICK HERE - Coping and Resilience, Finding a Medical Home and Resources (3 page .PDF file)