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Annals of Family Medicine 5:170-174 (2007)
© 2007 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.
doi: 10.1370/afm.646
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Essay

Caring for a Surge of Hurricane Katrina Evacuees in Primary Care Clinics

Thomas D. Edwards, DO1, Richard A. Young, MD1 and Adonna F. Lowe, RN2

1 JPS Family Medicine Residency Program, JPS Health Network, Fort Worth, Tex
2 JPS Health Network, Fort Worth, Tex

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Thomas Edwards, DO, JPS Family Medicine Residency Program, JPS Health Network, 1500 S Main, Fort Worth, TX 76104, tanukidoc{at}comcast.net

ABSTRACT

Primary care physicians are rarely mentioned in medical disaster plans. We describe how a group of mostly family physicians and administrators of the JPS Health Network (JPS) took primary responsibility for 3,700 evacuees of Hurricane Katrina who came to Tarrant County, Texas. JPS provided medical care to 1,664 (45%) evacuees during a 2-week period. The most common needs were medications for chronic illnesses and treatment of skin infections (primarily on the feet). The JPS Emergency Department saw only 148 evacuees, most of whom arrived by their own transportation and were not seriously ill. JPS created a triage center located several miles from the hospital that referred almost all evacuees with health care needs to a primary care clinic. It was an effective approach for caring for the medical needs of disaster victims and prevented an emergency department and hospital from being overwhelmed. The JPS experience may guide future planning efforts for natural or manmade disasters, especially pandemic threats.

Key Words: Natural disasters • relief work • emergency medicine • disaster planning • health planning




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TRACK Comments:

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