Medicare and Medicaid Emergency Preparedness Rule
Healthcare providers and suppliers accepting Medicaid and Medicare should know about an upcoming rule that will take effect beginning November 16. The Emergency Preparedness rule was created to insure providers have resources in place to address emergency planning, risk assessment, and communication in a variety of situations. This website has the full scoop, along with templates and checklists to help get a plan in place.


Resource Guide on Resilience
This guide from the International Risk Governance Council collects resources on resilience in the context of risk management for scientists and practitioners. The contents—which are searchable by concept, approach, or discipline—look at integrating, developing, and measuring resilience for governments and decision makers with an emphasis developing indicators and quantifying effectiveness. The site is a work in progress, so check back frequently while the collection grows.


Dam Safety in the United States
For those keeping tabs on the safety of the 87,000 dams in the national inventory, the Federal Emergency Management Agency recently posted its biennial report to congress on how well U.S. safety guidelines are working. Overall, the report finds many encouraging actions have been taken to support dam safety, but there is still much progress needed in the area of coordination, resilience, and risk communication. Take a look at the report for more on individual state response and FEMA’s action plan for the next two years.


World Heritage in the High Seas: An Idea Whose Time Has Come
With more than 1,000 protected areas under its belt the UNESCO World Heritage Center could be setting its sights on the sea. This new report explores ways that areas such as coral reefs, underwater volcanoes, and other ecosystems might be protected under the World Heritage Convention, even though they lack the national jurisdiction that would normally spur UNESCO involvement. The report lays out three potential concepts that could keep five marine sites safe from the ravages of climate change, sea level rise, and a host of technological disasters.


Science Literacy: Concepts, Contexts, and Consequences
In a world where attitudes regarding scientific findings on climate change and other contentious topics are often described in terms of belief or philosophy, it’s not too far-fetched to assume that more is at play than mere understanding of principles. This recent report from the National Academies Press confirms that better education will not generate greater support for science—instead a new take on science literacy that includes the relationship between science knowledge and attitudes about science, as well as how communities (as opposed to individuals) engage in science, is needed.

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