Why Disaster Planning Belongs In Every Chronic Care Visit with Dr Danielle Esler

Send us Fan MailPower fails, smoke drifts, roads close—and chronic conditions do not pause. We sit down with Dr Danielle Esler, dual-trained in primary care and public health and former Deputy Chief Health Officer in Australia, to map a practical path for making everyday care truly disaster-ready. From evacuating before a category five cyclone with an asthma-prone child to coordinating elements of a globally admired pandemic response, Danielle brings hard-earned insight and calm, actionable guidance.We start with a clear look at respiratory care that moves with the patient. Danielle explains why noisy, wall-tethered nebulisers fall short during disruption, and how quiet, hands-free, breath-activated delivery can bring hospital-grade therapy anywhere. We dig into connected care, remote monitoring, and the promise of devices that can deliver a range of particle sizes—from standard inhaled meds to emerging biologics—without a power outlet. Alongside the tech, we keep equity front and centre: rural communities, people with disabilities, and children with sensory needs benefit most when care is mobile and calm.Preparedness belongs in primary care. Danielle outlines a simple, high-yield checklist for routine chronic disease reviews: planning for smoke days, heatwaves, floods, blizzards, power loss, and supply shortages; maintaining flexible medication refills; storing action plans offline; and making smart choices between sheltering in place and evacuating. We compare health records in the UK, Australia, and the US to show how interoperable, patient-held records safeguard continuity and dignity when patients cross systems. We also confront training and policy gaps—why clinicians often avoid these talks, how to teach disruption-ready triage, and why cross-agency alignment matters when schools schedule athletics during heavy smoke.If you want your care plan to hold when the grid doesn’t, this conversation offers a blueprint: connected records, mobile devices, and brief but decisive preparedness questions woven into every chronic care visit. Subscribe, share with a colleague who manages complex patients, and leave a review with one step you’ll add to your next care plan.👤 Guest BiographyDr Danielle Esler is a dual specialist in Primary Care and Public Health and the Chief Medical Officer at Misti, a women-led health innovation company focused on accessible, digitally enabled respiratory care. With more than 20 years of experience across clinical medicine, health policy, education, and AI ethics, she has held leadership roles including Deputy Chief Health Officer of the Northern Territory. Danielle splits her time between Australia and the US, advocating for equity-driven system design and disaster preparedness in healthcare.🔗 Guest Contact & SocialsWebsite: https://www.misti.com.auLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-eslerSubscribe on SubstackVoices in Health and Wellness is published on Substack, as part of The Diagnostician. Every episode lands there with written notes and reflections you won't find in the podcast feed. Free to subscribe.👉 https://thediagnostician.substack.com/s/voices-in-health-and-wellnessAbout the podcastVoices in Health and Wellness features conversations at the intersection of medicine, lifestyle, and human potential, with clinicians, scientists, and thinkers shaping the future of care.About Dr Andrew GreenlandUK-based medical doctor and founder of Greenland Medical, specialising in Integrative and Functional Medicine. Trained in both conventional and root-cause approaches, Andrew helps people optimise health, performance, and longevity, with a focus on cognitive resilience and healthy ageing.