The Health Consequences of Natural Disasters in the United States: Progress, Perils, and Opportunity
Authors: Karen B. DeSalvo
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2018)

Ideas and Opinions20 March 2018The Health Consequences of Natural Disasters in the United States: Progress, Perils, and OpportunityKaren B. DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MScKaren B. DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MScUniversity of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, Texas (K.B.D.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M17-3240 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail In 2005, the world watched in horror as government and the health infrastructure collapsed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina (1). The United States responded by revamping its approach to preparedness, hardening the medical infrastructure, leveraging technology, and building community resilience. These changes resulted in a health infrastructure that performed significantly better during the 2017 hurricane season.Shifting the Overall Approach to PreparednessSince 2005, the United States has shifted to a proactive, all-hazards approach to disaster preparedness. This ensures that the health system is flexible enough to respond to a broad range of events, including natural, biological, chemical, radiologic, ...References1. DeSalvo KB. New Orleans rises anew: community health after Katrina. Ann Intern Med. 2016;164:57-8. [PMID: 26502034]. doi:10.7326/M15-2284 LinkGoogle Scholar2. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. National Response Framework. 3rd ed. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Homeland Security; 2016. Accessed at www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/117791 on 25 January 2018. Google Scholar3. Berggren R. Hurricane Katrina. Unexpected necessities—inside Charity Hospital. N Engl J Med. 2005;353:1550-3. [PMID: 16221776] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthcare Preparedness Capabilities: National Guidance for Healthcare System Preparedness. 2012. Accessed at www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/hpp/reports/Documents/capabilities.pdf on 25 January 2018. Google Scholar5. Guenther R, Balbus J. Primary protection: enhancing health care resilience for a changing climate. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. December 2014. Accessed at https://toolkit.climate.gov/image/662 on 25 January 2018. Google Scholar6. Hagland M. As Harvey Engulfs Houston, Texas HIE Leaders Move in to Help. Healthcare Informatics. 29 August 2017. Accessed at www.healthcare-informatics.com/article/hie/healthcare-informatics-exclusive-harvey-devastates-houston-texas-hie-leaders-move-help on 25 January 2018. Google Scholar7. DeSalvo K, Lurie N, Finne K, Worrall C, Bogdanov A, Dinkler A, et al. Using Medicare data to identify individuals who are electricity dependent to improve disaster preparedness and response. Am J Public Health. 2014;104:1160-4. [PMID: 24832404] doi:10.2105/AJPH.2014.302009 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Tuckson RV, Dzau VJ, Lurie N. Creating healthy communities after disasters. N Engl J Med. 2017;377:1806-8. [PMID: 29019712] doi:10.1056/NEJMp1711834 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. DeSalvo KB, Kertesz S. Creating a more resilient safety net for persons with chronic disease: beyond the “medical home” [Editorial]. J Gen Intern Med. 2007;22:1377-9. [PMID: 17665269] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. DeSalvo KB, Wang YC, Harris A, Auerbach J, Koo D, O'Carroll P. Public health 3.0: a call to action for public health to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Prev Chronic Dis. 2017;14:E78. [PMID: 28880837] doi:10.5888/pcd14.170017 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, Texas (K.B.D.)Disclosures: The author has disclosed no conflicts of interest. The form can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M17-3240.Corresponding Author: Karen B. DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc, 121 Rio Vista Avenue, Jefferson, LA 70121; e-mail, karen.[email protected]com.Author Contributions: Conception and design: K.B. DeSalvo.Analysis and interpretation of the data: K.B. DeSalvo.Drafting of the article: K.B. DeSalvo.Critical revision of the article for important intellectual content: K.B. DeSalvo.Final approval of the article: K.B. DeSalvo.Administrative, technical, or logistic support: K.B. DeSalvo.Collection and assembly of data: K.B. DeSalvo.This article was published at Annals.org on 20 February 2018. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byPower Outages and Community Health: a Narrative Review 20 March 2018Volume 168, Issue 6Page: 440-441KeywordsConflicts of interestDisclosureForecastingHealth information technologyMedicareMotivationNatural disastersOutpatientsPrevention, policy, and public healthPsychiatry and mental health ePublished: 20 February 2018 Issue Published: 20 March 2018 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2018 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...