Far from Safe: A Memoir of an Outbreak

Far from Safe:This book is an inside look at the public health workers whose job it is to keep us all safe.What is it like to live and work inside a deadly disease outbreak? In Far from Safe, two public health nurses write vividly of the experience; from the first day that begins with the death of an infant, through a frightening succession of days and weeks where new cases grow by the hour. This outbreak in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho quickly reaches a scale that overwhelms the capacity of the local health department to respond. But the health department is not the only casualty of the epidemic: “In 1997, an outbreak of whooping cough in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho started with the shocking death of an infant. In the race to stop the spread of disease and protect lives, the public health system was completely overwhelmed. Laboratories couldn’t process tests fast enough. Local doctors were unable to take care of their patients. Testing supplies ran out. Pharmacies ran out of drugs. The public health workers that stood between the community and the disease were sickened and taken off of the front lines.”When the outbreak ends, there is a search for answers. What can we do the next time? What can create a stronger more agile public health system? The authors describe their search for meaning and understanding within the confines of the real world. Read more