Lessons learned from Louisiana's public hospital system during and following the disasters caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Mien-Chin Sunny Chen, MHA¹, Gene Beyt, MD, MS¹, and Michael Butler, MD, MHA². (1) Department of Health Systems Management, Tulane University, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, Suite 1900, New Orleans, LA 70112, 504-251-7723, sunnyc1203@gmail.com, (2) LSU Health Science Center, Health Care Services Division (Charity Hospitals), 8550 United Plaza Blvd., Suite 400, Baton Rouge, LA 70809

Background: In August and September 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused severe flooding and damages to Louisiana. All of the Louisiana State University Health Care Service Division (LSUHCSD) public hospitals and clinics were affected in different degrees, several were forced to evacuate or temporally closed.

Purpose: To collect the lessons learned in preparedness and disaster response by the HCSD workforce. To determine what went well, what were the opportunities for improvement, and to collect individual stories. The results and comments will be used to create planning, improvement, and the basis for preparedness policy for the future.

Methods: The web-based post action assessment contained four sections, with multiple choice of 5-Likert scale and open-ended questions. Total of 4311 employees and physicians of LSUHCSD received at least one email request and a reminder with the survey link during the 6-week study period. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze and summarize the survey results.

Results: 773 valid responses were collected and revealed that patient care had the highest weighted average rating, and external communication had the lowest rating in the facility's disaster preparedness. The workforce rating of the actions of the leadership team was positive. The respondents were most proud of the employee commitment. Communication and backup power were identified as the priority improvement areas.

Conclusions: Public hospital management should give attention to the emergency preparedness areas of communication, backup power, evacuation plans, workforce deployment in crisis, and backup computer system.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session participants will be able to

• Describe a web survey process utilized to capture workforce lessons learned and to develop a post action report after a major disaster affecting a large component of a city’s health care infrastructure.
• List three lessons learned from the recent disasters involving the public hospitals in Louisiana.
• Identify opportunities for improvement in public hospital emergency preparedness as a result of learned lessons in the delivery of health care services during and after a major disaster.

Keywords: Disasters,

Related Web page: www.lsuhsc.edu/hcsd/

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation

Emergency and Disaster Preparedness II

The 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 4-8, 2006) of APHA