141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

287925
Long-term impact of a disaster on a rural, underserved, community's health

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 : 1:10 PM - 1:30 PM

Lucy Annang, PhD, MPH , Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health, Columbia, SC
Sacoby Wilson, MS, PhD , Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Bethany Carlos, BS , Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health, Columbia, SC
Chiwoneso Tinago, MPH , Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolin, Columbia, SC
Evangeline Cornelius , Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Louisiana Wright Sanders, MBA , Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health, Columbia, SC
Tina Bevington , Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health, Columbia, SC
Erik Svendsen, PhD , Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA
L. Julia Ball, RN, PhD , College of Nursing, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Amy B. Martin, DrPH , Department of Health Services Policy and Management, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
While there is an influx of interest in responding to a community's needs immediately following a disaster, there is little research documenting the effects on a community's health during the secondary surge recovery period. We present data gathered from community residents, healthcare providers, and hospital discharge data seven years after the deadly 2005 Graniteville train derailment and chlorine spill. Data were collected 2012-2013 from community residents and area healthcare providers using photovoice and semi-structured interview methodology. Photos and interview data were analyzed for themes regarding the long-term health impacts of community members since the accident. Additionally, a secondary data analysis of hospital discharge data for Graniteville-area healthcare facilities was conducted to determine utilization, severity, and frequency of various diagnoses and procedures three years pre- and three years' post-disaster. Concerns with physical health, specifically cancer and respiratory illness, were the most prominent themes from photovoice and the healthcare provider interviews. Additionally, community residents reported having concerns with mental health challenges, a factor that was also noted by many healthcare providers. Results from the secondary data analysis corroborated findings from residents and healthcare providers with significantly increased reports of respiratory and mental health discharges three years after the disaster. Individuals remain physically and mentally impacted by a disaster not solely in the immediate aftermath, but also in the long-term period after immediate response efforts have ceased. Public health practitioners and researchers should continue to examine and respond to the long-term impacts of disasters on vulnerable, medically underserved communities.

Learning Areas:
Environmental health sciences
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Identify priority areas for rural community health after a technological disaster. Explain the importance of identifying community health needs in post-disaster, secondary surge efforts.

Keywords: Community Health, Rural Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am Co-Principal Investigator of the funded research project and am an Assistant Professor of health promotion. I have been conducting research and teaching in the area of health disparities and sexual health, with a focus on using community-based approaches with vulnerable, underserved populations.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.