Work

Association Between Exposure to Hurricane Harvey and Mortality Among Nursing Home Residents

Year: 2022

Type: conference-abstract

Abstract: Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Southeast Texas in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding. We examined the association between exposure to Hurricane Harvey and rates of 30-and 90-day mortality among Texas nursing home residents. Using Medicare data, we compared a cohort of residents exposed to the storm in 2017 (n= 18,693) to a cohort of residents not exposed to the storm in 2015 (n=19,688). We fit generalized estimating equations with a sandwich estimator, adjusting for resident demographic and clinical characteristics. Exposure to Hurricane Harvey was not associated with 30-day rates of mortality. However, it was associated with a 15% increase in the odds of dying at 90 days holding resident characteristics constant (adjusted odds ratio: 1.15 [95% Confidence interval: 1.06, 1.25). Health effects due to severe flooding, such as those related to decreased ability to manage chronic conditions, may not be apparent until several weeks after the storm.

Source: Innovation in Aging

DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igac059.1377

Authors: Cassandra Hua, Kali Thomas, Sweta Patel, David Dosa, Dylan Jester, Ross Andel

Institutions: Brown University, University of California San Diego, University of South Florida

Language: English

Topic: Disaster Response and Management

Subfield: Emergency Medical Services

Field: Health Professions

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,615