Quick-Start Guide

CARA is designed to help public health departments, healthcare coalitions, and emergency managers evaluate and respond to a variety of risks across Wisconsin.

What This Tool Does

This tool provides:

• Comprehensive risk assessments for natural hazards, health risks, active shooter scenarios, and infrastructure vulnerabilities
• Geospatial visualization of risks across all Wisconsin counties and tribal areas
• Regional aggregation of data by Healthcare Emergency Readiness Coalition (HERC) regions
• Printable risk summaries for planning and reporting
• Compatibility with Kaiser Permanente HVA export for hospital preparedness programs
• Temporal risk analysis using the BSTA framework (Baseline, Seasonal, Trend, Acute)

Who Should Use This Tool

This tool is designed for:

• Local Health Department staff
• Tribal Health Center coordinators
• HERC coordinators and members
• Emergency management professionals
• Public health preparedness planners

The risk assessments are built on data from multiple authoritative sources:

Natural Hazards

• FEMA National Risk Index
• National Weather Service historical data
• Wisconsin Emergency Management hazard assessments
• NOAA climate data and projections

Health Risks

• Wisconsin Department of Health Services disease surveillance
• CDC COVID-19, influenza, and RSV activity reports
• Wisconsin Immunization Registry (WIR) vaccination data

Social Vulnerability

• CDC Social Vulnerability Index (SVI)
• U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data
• Housing and demographic data

Additional Risk Factors

• FBI Crime Data API
• Gun Violence Archive reports
• Wisconsin Hospital Association capacity data
• National Center for Education Statistics data

Data Refresh Schedule: Different data sources update at varying frequencies, from daily weather data to annual census information. The tool uses an intelligent caching system to maintain the most recent data while handling API limitations.

Accessing Jurisdiction Data

1. Start at the home page: The interactive map displays risk levels across Wisconsin.
2. Select a jurisdiction: Click on any county or tribal area to view its specific risk profile.
3. Explore the dashboard: Each jurisdiction dashboard provides detailed breakdowns of various risk factors.

Using HERC Regional Views

1. Access regional data: Use the HERC tab in the navigation to select a specific HERC region.
2. View aggregated risks: Regional dashboards show risk aggregated across all counties in the region.
3. Export HVA data: HERC coordinators can export risk data in Kaiser Permanente HVA format.

Generating Reports

1. Create printable summaries: Use the "Print Summary" button on any dashboard to generate a printer-friendly report.
2. Download data: Export options are available for data integration with other tools.
3. View action plans: Generate customized preparedness action plans based on identified risks.

Understanding Risk Scores

Risk scores range from 0.0 to 1.0 and are categorized as follows:

• 0.0 - 0.3: High Readiness - The jurisdiction has strong preparedness for this risk type.
• 0.3 - 0.6: Moderate Readiness - Some preparedness measures are in place, but improvements are recommended.
• 0.6 - 1.0: Development Needed - Significant improvements to preparedness are recommended.

Risk Score Calculation

Each risk score is calculated using the formula:

Residual Risk = (Exposure × Vulnerability × Health Impact Factor) - (Resilience Factor × Maximum Risk)

Where:

• Exposure - The likelihood and frequency of the hazard
• Vulnerability - The susceptibility of the population, including SVI factors
• Health Impact Factor - The specific health consequences (1.0-1.5)
• Resilience - Existing preparedness and mitigation measures

Temporal Assessment (BSTA Framework)

Risk is evaluated across four timeframes:

• Baseline (50%) - Long-term risk over 1-10 years
• Seasonal (20%) - Cyclical risk patterns
• Trend (20%) - Emerging patterns over 2-5 years
• Acute (10%) - Immediate threats (days to weeks)

HERC Region Integration

The tool integrates Wisconsin's seven Healthcare Emergency Readiness Coalition (HERC) regions for a broader view of healthcare preparedness:

• Aggregated risk scores across all counties in each HERC region
• Regional healthcare capacity data (when available)
• Links to HERC coordinators and resources
• Kaiser Permanente HVA export for Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) planning

Understanding Aggregated Data

Regional data is aggregated using population-weighted averages of county-level data, with special consideration for:

• Population distribution differences across counties
• Regional healthcare resource availability
• Cross-county infrastructure dependencies
• Tribal areas that span multiple counties

Contact Information

For assistance with the tool or to provide feedback:

• Project Developer: Jaime Niedermeier, Georgetown University
• Email: jdn63@georgetown.edu

Additional Resources

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Provide Feedback
• Risk Assessment Methodology

Beta testers are encouraged to use the feedback form to report any issues or suggest improvements.