**4. Elements of hospital function affected by disasters and security incidents**

## **4.1 Reliance on the public and private sector**

Healthcare delivery is contingent on many elements of normal social functioning. When a disaster disrupts government services, the private sector and the environment, hospital systems will have to adapt to continue with their mission.

Examples of healthcare's reliance on other parts of society:

Material resources from the private sector, From pharmaceuticals to gloves, hospitals need inputs from the private sector. This can be mitigated somewhat through stockpiling of supplies, however the practice of stockpiling is no longer a feasible model for many if not most healthcare institutions [7]. Some government programs may provide safety nets for supplies such as the strategic national stockpile in the United States.

Government services: Healthcare workers take the bus to work, they need their children to be in school in order to go to work, hospitals require police protection, waste services and utilities; some or all of which may be disrupted in a disaster.
