DOC News August 1, 2007
Volume 4 Number 8 p. 15
© 2007 American Diabetes Association
Disaster Preparedness
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, thousands were without resources to
manage their diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other medical
issues.
Hospitals and medical practices were knocked out of commission. Many
facilities lost electronic backups of medical records because they were stored
in the same waterlogged buildings as the originals.
In Katrina's aftermath, medical organizations from coast to coast spoke
of lessons learned. But have these lessons translated into comprehensive plans
to maintain vital services during future emergencies and evacuations?
DOC News asked:
Is your practice or organization prepared for a Katrina-like disaster?
I know that the hospital administrators are concerned about that and have
disaster drills periodically. Personally, I haven't done anything to prepare
for a disaster, but the hospital administrators have.
David Collins, MD Cardiologist San Diego, Calif.
I'm not sure about the details of our practice. I guess an earthquake can
happen in Utah. The thing we're doing is switching to electronic medical
records, which should solve the problem of a disruption.
Michael Cody, MD Interventional Cardiologist Layton, Utah
We do have a site set aside [for use] if we were to have any kind of
bioterrorism, so we have a plan for that. I don't know about Katrina-like
flooding. Our records are computer-based, but I'm not sure we'd have off-site
backup [if] we lost access to the computers.
Lindsey Hourtienne, RN Nurse Practitioner Grand Rapids, Mich.
We're part of Wake County Human Services and we have an
emergency-preparedness plan. If something happened to our building, I know who
to call, and I know where to move from there.
Melvin Jackson, MSPh Program Manager Raleigh, N.C.
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