Year: 2009
Type: article
Abstract: Q: What were some of the more notable medical illnesses and mental health issues that Katrina survivors faced?A: Hurricanes Katrina and Rita impacted health and health care for the people along the Gulf Coast in a number of ways.In the short term, those with serious chronic illnesses-like diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cancer-had significantly diminished access to needed health care and medications for periods ranging from months to years.Health care sites and systems for hundreds of thousands of people were destroyed, including the loss of millions of medical records, hundreds of doctor's offices, and entire hospitals.Thousands of clinicians were displaced, and some-like their patients-were forced to relocate permanently to other areas of the country.Many who faced serious health consequences as a result of interrupted or delayed care were low-income and uninsured people.Because these interruptions prevented some patients from getting medications for transmissible illnesses, antituberculosis or antiretroviral medications, for instance, they threatened the health of the public at large [1,2].
Source: The AMA Journal of Ethic
Author: Benjamin Springgate
Institution: Tulane University
Language: English
Subfield: Emergency Medical Services
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W114089406