At-Risk Populations

[Page 42]At-risk population is a term that is broadly used but has varied definitions. Fields that commonly use the term are public and environmental health; medical, risk, and emergency management; and civil rights and civil liberties. Although definitions of the term vary, a generally agreed-on definition considers at-risk populations to be populations whose members may have additional needs before, during, and after an incident or event of magnitude in functional areas, such as maintaining independence, communication, transportation, supervision, and medical care. Those members in need of additional response assistance may include but are not limited to people with disabilities, those who live in institutionalized settings, the elderly, children, people from diverse cultures, those who have limited language proficiency, or those who are transportation disadvantaged. This ...