HAWAIʻI DHO TO CONDUCT CASPER SURVEY TO ASSESS COMMUNITY PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

HILO, Hawaiʻi — The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) Hawaiʻi District Health Office (HDHO) will conduct a Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) survey to assess the emergency preparedness level of eastern Hawaiʻi County households in Hilo (North and South), Puna and Kaʻū districts from May 12-16. 

The project is an interagency collaboration between HDHO, Hawaiʻi County and community organizations to coordinate and conduct the CASPER study for Hawaiʻi Island. These partners include: Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Agency, Hawaiʻi County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) teams, Citizen Corps, Hawaiʻi Animal Kuleana Alliance (HAKA), Men of Paʻa and Vibrant Hawaiʻi.

“This will be the first launch of the CASPER survey in Hawaiʻi County to assess household public health emergency preparedness and evacuation plans, as well as help us to understand household awareness and concerns. CASPER surveys have been used for years on Kauaʻi, elevating the community’s voice in emergency preparedness. We are excited to partner with Hawaiʻi County stakeholders to conduct one here,” said Dr. John Kolman, district health officer, HDHO. “The information we learn will enable the Hawaiʻi District Health Office and the county to better meet our community’s needs before, during and after a disaster. CASPER surveys also serve as a valuable training opportunity for our staff and partners. This year we will focus on eastern Hawaiʻi County and hope to apply lessons learned in conducting another survey on the western side of the island in the future.”  

Survey teams will go door-to-door to 30 randomly selected census blocks. Seven houses within each block will be systematically selected and surveyed for a total of 210 attempted household-level surveys. Teams are comprised of DOH staff and local county partner organizations.  

The survey is estimated to take about 10 minutes. Selected households will be asked about their emergency and evacuation plans; familiarity with local resources; and any concerns regarding disaster preparedness. All survey responses will be voluntary and confidential, so names or addresses will not be collected.  

Team members will wear vests identifying themselves as part of the DOH survey team and will carry identification cards. Selected households will be offered the opportunity to complete the survey over the phone, if preferred.  

The CASPER survey methodology was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to rapidly assess the health and other resource needs of a community after a disaster. “We greatly appreciate the participation of eastern Hawaiʻi County residents and our community partners in this survey effort,” Kolman said. “Mahalo for generously sharing your time and responses with our survey teams.” 

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