NURS FPX 4055 Assessment 3: Comprehensive Disaster Recovery Plan

NURS FPX 4055 Assessment 3

[Student Name]

Capella University

Professor’s Name

August 2025

NURS FPX 4055 Assessment 3: Disaster Recovery Plan

Due to social and economic inequalities, communication barriers, and cultural diversity concerns, communities like Tall Oaks typically struggle greatly during catastrophe recovery. These disparities prolong recovery times and impede equitable access to services. In Tall Oaks, social services, healthcare systems, and government organizations must coordinate disaster recovery, with a focus on the importance of healthcare continuity planning.

Health disparities during and after emergencies can be reduced with the help of CERC models, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) model. This model can help overcome obstacles, enhance communication, and reduce health disparities during and after emergencies in NURS FPX 4055 Assessment 3.

Community Profile and Vulnerabilities

Tall Oaks is populated by over 50,000 people, with an average household income of $44,444 and a low rate of health literacy (22.5%). Nursing crisis management strategies can help address these social and economic issues that limit access to emergency assistance and make older adults, individuals with disabilities, and those without insurance more vulnerable. The community’s racial and cultural diversity, 29 percent White, 36 percent Black, and 25 percent Hispanic/Latino, presents both possibilities and problems for effective communication and fair service allocation. One crucial factor in NURS FPX 4055 Assessment 3 is that the least wealthy families are found in flood-prone areas like Willow Creek and Pine Ridge, which are primarily populated by the elderly. The Hispanic/Latino community in particular faces linguistic and cultural challenges that hinder access to healthcare and undermine confidence in emergency services. Road closures and temporary inaccessibility to care, such as Red Oaks Medical Center,

are examples of how the infrastructure’s shortcomings make it unable to handle all crises. These intersecting fault lines show how important an equity-oriented strategy to disaster recovery is.

Interconnected Determinants of Health and Cultural Sensitivity in Recovery

In Tall Oaks, the social determinants of health can’t function in isolation. As noted in NURS FPX 4055 Assessment 3, discrimination against marginalized or vulnerable groups exacerbates work-related hardships, resulting in substandard housing in disaster-prone areas and low educational attainment, which leads to poor health literacy and, ultimately, poor preparedness. Additionally, linguistic and cultural differences exacerbate the communication barriers that already exist between doctors and the Hispanic/Latino residents of the population, thereby extending the time that people seek care.

Healthcare continuity planning is crucial because transportation issues and damaged infrastructure will reduce income and impact disabled people, increasing their recovery time, isolating them, and exacerbating their medical conditions. Infrastructure funding, culturally relevant rehabilitation therapies, and fair communication practices can all help manage these disparities (Blackman et al., 2023).

As stressed in NURS FPX 4055 Assessment 3, the suggested framework is founded on equity regardless of ethnicity, language, or income and is grounded in social justice values. Maintaining bilingual information distribution, using emergency shelters, mobile medical units, accessible transportation, and developing special financial assistance programs are the most crucial stages in achieving this goal. While cultural competency training for healthcare professionals enhances interprofessional collaboration and equitable service delivery, collaboration with trusted local groups expands the allocation of resources (Bhugra et al., 2022; Sheerazi et al., 2025).

Policies, Communication Strategies, and Collaboration

A key element of hospital disaster management, timely and simple access to information during emergencies, is emphasized in Tall Oaks’ disaster procedures policies, which align with the CDC CERC model. In 2024, about 5,000 of them participated in CERC training, which improved their ability to craft messages and foster confidence in the emergency communications (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2025). ADA compliance ensures that all residents, including those with mobility or communication impairments, have access to medical attendants, shelters, and critical information (ADA, 2025). The Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA) and the Robert T. Stafford Act, two federal programs, provide funding for infrastructure improvements, including flood plain mitigation in high-risk districts. Depending on the elasticity of finances, the policies also improve low-income and uninsured residents’ access to care (Horn et al., 2021).

As mentioned in NURS FPX 4055 Assessment 3, the combination with trace-mapping technology makes it easier to distribute aid selectively, ensuring that it reaches the areas where people need it most. Multilingual signs, culturally sensitive triage protocols, and hiring a varied workforce for shelters all contribute to a better communication strategy. Building trust through cultural sensitivity training improves compliance with safety regulations (Bonfanti et al., 2023). Effective resource management within an emergency response healthcare plan is made possible by collaboration and communication between emergency response personnel, social workers, and healthcare providers. Over time, community engagement results in real-time response plan adjustments that can enhance the recovery process (Yazdani & Haghani, 2024; Vandrevala et al., 2024).

Table 1

Summary of Key Issues and Proposed Recovery Strategies for Tall Oaks

Category	Challenges	Proposed Strategies
Socioeconomic Disparities	Low education, significant poverty, and a low median income ($44,444)	Financial assistance, flood-resistant housing, and equitable access to medical care
Cultural & Communication Barriers	Lack of faith in institutions and a language barrier	Proficiency in multilingual communication, culturally aware outreach, and interpretation services
Vulnerable Populations	The disabled, elderly, uninsured, and minority groups	Special shelters, ADA-approved facilities, and mobile units
Infrastructure & Service Access	Road closures brought on by facilities’ closing during crises	Enhancement of roads and ports, equipment for trace mapping, and easy transportation
Health & Government Policy	Low funding flexibility, erratic allocation of resources	DRRA utilization, Stafford Act utilization, and CERC training
Interprofessional Collaboration	Incoherent response, lack of specialized training	Cross-disaster plans, community collaboration, cross-disaster coordination, and cross-disaster training

Conclusion

The Tall Oaks disaster recovery issues are explained by the intersection of socioeconomic inequality, linguistic and cultural barriers, infrastructural fragility, and governmental constraints. Implementing a coordinated recovery strategy grounded in social justice and cultural competence, two essential components of nursing disaster preparedness, can improve fairness, resilience, and long-term population health outcomes. Tall Oaks will be able to prevent cultural exclusion during the disaster recovery process and operate more effectively by utilizing community partnerships, the CDC CERC model, and improved interprofessional teamwork. This is in line with NURS FPX 4055 Assessment 3.

References

ADA. (2025). Health care and the Americans with Disabilities Act | ADA National Network. https://adata.org/factsheet/health-care-and-ada

Bailie, J., Matthews, V., Bailie, R., Villeneuve, M., & Longman, J. (2022). Exposure to risk and experiences of river flooding for people with disability and carers in rural Australia: A cross-sectional survey. BMJ Open, 12(8), e056210. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056210

Bhugra, D., Tribe, R., & Poulter, D. (2022). Social justice, health equity, and mental health. South African Journal of Psychology, 52(1), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/00812463211070921

Blackman, D., Prayag, G., Nakanishi, H., Chaffer, J., & Freyens, B. (2023). Wellbeing in disaster recovery: Understanding where systems get stuck. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 95, 103839. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103839

Bonfanti, R. C., Oberti, B., Ravazzoli, E., Rinaldi, A., Ruggieri, S., & Schimmenti, A. (2023). The role of trust in disaster risk reduction: A critical review. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 96, 104095. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.104095

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). Crisis and emergency risk communication (CERC) program. https://emergency.cdc.gov/cerc/

Horn, D., Patel, A., & Zhang, T. (2021). Policy and infrastructure investment after disasters: Impacts of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act. Journal of Emergency Management, 19(3), 201–210.

Kristian, R., & Fajar, N. (2024). Building post-disaster community trust through local partnerships. Journal of Community Health and Resilience, 8(2), 122–135.

Sheerazi, R., Thomas, L., & Kim, D. (2025). Culturally sensitive disaster recovery frameworks for underserved populations. American Journal of Public Health Policy, 115(1), 32–42.

Vandrevala, T., Larkin, M., Haria, K., & Jones, J. (2024). Community voices in disaster planning: Enhancing engagement in under-resourced areas. Disaster and Society, 9(2), 74–91.

Yazdani, R., & Haghani, M. (2024). Interprofessional collaboration in crisis recovery: Case studies from rural America. Journal of Emergency Preparedness, 17(4), 289–305.