Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T04:28:59.384Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Rebuilding Emergency Care After Hurricane Sandy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 April 2014

David C. Lee ,
Silas W. Smith ,
Christopher M. McStay ,
Ian Portelli ,
Lewis R. Goldfrank ,
Gregg Husk  and
Nirav R. Shah Open the ORCID record for Nirav R. Shah [Opens in a new window]
David C. Lee*
Affiliation:
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program, Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics, and Department of Emergency Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Silas W. Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York
Christopher M. McStay
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York
Ian Portelli
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York
Lewis R. Goldfrank
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York
Gregg Husk
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, New York
Nirav R. Shah
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine and Office of the Commissioner, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York
*
Correspondence to David C. Lee, MD, RWJF Clinical Scholars Program, 423 Guardian Dr, Blockley Hall, floor 13, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (e-mail: [email protected]).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A freestanding, 911-receiving emergency department was implemented at Bellevue Hospital Center during the recovery efforts after Hurricane Sandy to compensate for the increased volume experienced at nearby hospitals. Because inpatient services at several hospitals remained closed for months, emergency volume increased significantly. Thus, in collaboration with the New York State Department of Health and other partners, the Health and Hospitals Corporation and Bellevue Hospital Center opened a freestanding emergency department without on-site inpatient care. The successful operation of this facility hinged on key partnerships with emergency medical services and nearby hospitals. Also essential was the establishment of an emergency critical care ward and a system to monitor emergency department utilization at affected hospitals. The results of this experience, we believe, can provide a model for future efforts to rebuild emergency care capacity after a natural disaster such as Hurricane Sandy. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2014;0:1-4)

Keywords

emergency carefreestanding emergency departmentshospital closuresdisaster recoveryHurricane Sandy
Type
Report from the Field
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 8 , Issue 2 , April 2014 , pp. 119 - 122
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Powell, T, Hanfling, D, Gostin, LO. Emergency preparedness and public health: the lessons of Hurricane Sandy. JAMA. 2012;308(24):2569-2570.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2. Teperman, S. Hurricane Sandy and the greater New York health care system. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2013;74(6):1401-1410.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3. Thompson WC Jr. Emergency room care: will it be there? Assessing the impact of closing five emergency rooms in New York City. New York, New York: City of New York City, Office of Policy Management; December 21, 2006.Google Scholar
4. Welch, SJ, Augustine, JJ, Dong, L, Savitz, LA, Snow, G, James, BC. Volume-related differences in emergency department performance. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2012;38(9):395-402.Google Scholar
5. SPARCS emergency department audit report for calendar year 2012. New York State Department of Health website; August 14, 2013. http://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/sparcs/reports/edaud12.htm. Accessed August 18, 2013.Google Scholar
6. Sullivan, AF, Bachireddy, C, Steptoe, AP, Oldfield, J, Wilson, T, Camargo, CA Jr. A profile of freestanding emergency departments in the United States, 2007. J Emerg Med. 2012;43(6):1175-1180.Google Scholar
7. Simon, EL, Griffin, PL, Jouriles, NJ. The impact of two freestanding emergency departments on a tertiary care center. J Emerg Med. 2012;43(6):1127-1131.Google Scholar
8. Schultz, CH, Annas, GJ. Altering the standard of care in disasters – unnecessary and dangerous. Ann Emerg Med. 2012;59(3):191-195.Google Scholar
9. Warren, J, Fromm, RE Jr, Orr, RA, Rotello, LC, Horst, HM. American College of Critical Care Medicine. Guidelines for the inter- and intrahospital transport of critically ill patients. Crit Care Med. 2004;32(1):256-262.Google Scholar
10. D'Amore, AR, Hardin, CK. Air Force expeditionary medical support unit at the Houston floods: use of a military model in civilian disaster response. Mil Med. 2005;170(2):103-108.Google ScholarPubMed
Supplementary material: File

Lee Supplementary Material

Supplemental Figure

Download Lee Supplementary Material(File)
File 1.5 MB