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Lessons Learned in Pandemic Preparedness

Mar 20, 2025

1 min

Martine Hackett

Dr. Martine Hackett, associate professor and chair of Hofstra’s Department of Population Health talked to Newsday about Long Island’s level of preparedness for another pandemic.



In 2020, “there really was no sense of what needed to be done,” and how to coordinate efforts, she said. “I think Long Island now understands what is required in terms of cooperation across health systems, health departments and the community.”

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Martine Hackett

Martine Hackett

Associate Professor of Population Health

Dr. Hackett's research focuses on public health and health inequities, particularly in the American suburbs and minority communities.

Public HealthHealth CommunicationResearch MethodsMaternal-Child HealthInfant Injury

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Severe Weather Events Mean Officials Must Be Ready for the Unexpected

Dr. Jase Bernhardt, associate professor in Hofstra’s Department of Geology, Environment, and Sustainability, was interviewed by Newsday for the article “Long Island storm prep increasingly means expect the unexpected.” Supervisors in Suffolk and Nassau Counties must have response plans for extreme and sudden weather events, which have been occurring with more frequency due to climate change and inadequate drainage systems. Though meteorologists have the ability to issue a flood watch alert between 12 to 24 hours in advance of an approaching storm, the more actionable and localized alerts people want arrive much later. “It’s great to have that notice … but you still can’t always pinpoint that exact locality, which is always frustrating to people,” Dr. Bernhardt said. “To pinpoint at that level, like what county or what town, unfortunately might only come very close to when the flooding actually happens.”

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