The Healthcare Infrastructure of Post-Katrina New Orleans
Joe Burgess
Mr. Jason Kirker
Eng.120H
10 December 20121
Hidden Issues:
The Healthcare Infrastructure of Post-Katrina New Orleans
When Hurricane Katrina struck the city of New Orleans in August of 2005, the physical damage that the storm caused was easily seen. Mass flooding led to the destruction of many homes and famous landmarks. In an attempt to get out of the way of the storm’s path, many citizens fled the city in the days before the storm. Some, though, for various reasons, did not leave the city and decided to stay and take on the storm in their homes. Those citizens were the ones who were seen in the days, weeks, and months after the storm, struggling to regroup and rebuild from what the storm had done. The physical damage garnered most of the attention from media outlets, but a very critical underlying issue that was not as widely covered still remained. The healthcare infrastructure of New Orleans, which was already very poor, was very negatively affected by Hurricane Katrina. Many members of the media did not cover this, most likely because it was a type of disaster that could not be clearly observed and would not bring in as many viewers as other aspects of the aftermath. To me, though, it is a very important issue that should have gotten more attention at the time. That is why I decided to focus my research on how Hurricane Katrina affected the healthcare infrastructure in New Orleans, how other cities handled similar situations, and what could be done to better prepare the city’s healthcare infrastructure in the event that another storm of this magnitude strikes the city. I believe that the city should have distributed healthcare more evenly amongst citizens to give all a better chance at getting medical attention after the storm, that more federal and state aid should be applied to New Orleans area medical centers, and that city officials, state officials, and citizens alike should collaborate towards coming up with a structured plan
Mr. Jason Kirker
Eng.120H
10 December 20121
Hidden Issues:
The Healthcare Infrastructure of Post-Katrina New Orleans
When Hurricane Katrina struck the city of New Orleans in August of 2005, the physical damage that the storm caused was easily seen. Mass flooding led to the destruction of many homes and famous landmarks. In an attempt to get out of the way of the storm’s path, many citizens fled the city in the days before the storm. Some, though, for various reasons, did not leave the city and decided to stay and take on the storm in their homes. Those citizens were the ones who were seen in the days, weeks, and months after the storm, struggling to regroup and rebuild from what the storm had done. The physical damage garnered most of the attention from media outlets, but a very critical underlying issue that was not as widely covered still remained. The healthcare infrastructure of New Orleans, which was already very poor, was very negatively affected by Hurricane Katrina. Many members of the media did not cover this, most likely because it was a type of disaster that could not be clearly observed and would not bring in as many viewers as other aspects of the aftermath. To me, though, it is a very important issue that should have gotten more attention at the time. That is why I decided to focus my research on how Hurricane Katrina affected the healthcare infrastructure in New Orleans, how other cities handled similar situations, and what could be done to better prepare the city’s healthcare infrastructure in the event that another storm of this magnitude strikes the city. I believe that the city should have distributed healthcare more evenly amongst citizens to give all a better chance at getting medical attention after the storm, that more federal and state aid should be applied to New Orleans area medical centers, and that city officials, state officials, and citizens alike should collaborate towards coming up with a structured plan
Cited: Banks, Laura. “Effective Healthcare System Response to Consecutive Florida Hurricanes.” American Journal of Disaster Medicine, Nov/Dec 2007. Web. 28 Oct 2012. Berggren, Ruth and Tyler Curiel. “After the Storm-Healthcare Infrastructure in Post-Katrina New Orleans.” The New England Journal of Medicine, 13 Apr 2006. Web. 28 Oct 2012. Calderon-Abbo, Jose. “The Long Road Home: Rebuilding Public Inpatient Psychiatric Services in Post-Katrina New Orleans.” Psychiatric Services, Mar. 2008. Pp 304-309. Web. 28 Oct 2012. DeSalvo, Karen, Amanda Hyre , Danielle Ompad, Andy Menke, Lee Tynes, and Paul Munter. "Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in a New Orleans Workforce Following Hurricane Katrina." Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 17 Jan 2007. Web. 05 Dec 2012. Hartocollis, Anemona. "With Some Hospitals Closed After Hurricane, E.R.’s at Others Overflow." The New York Times, 03 Dec 2012. Web. 06 Dec 2012. Rudowitz, Robin, Diane Rowland, and Adele Shartzer. “Health Care in New Orleans Before and After Hurricane Katrina.” HealthAffairs, Sep 2006. Web. 28 Oct 2012. Springgate, Benjamin. “Down in New Orleans.” Narrative Matters, Sep/Oct 2007. Web. 28 Oct 2012. VanRooyen, Michael. “After the Tsunami-Facing the Public Health Challenges.” The New England Journal of Medicine, 03 Nov 2005. Web. 28 Oct 2012. Weisler, Richard, James Barbee, and Mark Townsend. “Mental Health and Recovery in the Gulf Coast After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.” The Journal of the American Medical Association, 6 August 2006. Pp 585-588. Web. 14 Nov 2012.