186960 Dependency of vulnerable populations on community health support in emergency situations: Analysis of services utilization and needs at Louisiana community supported shelters following the 2005 Gulf hurricanes

Monday, October 27, 2008

Yordanka Nikolova Koleva, MPH , School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Background: The 2005 hurricanes created an opportunity to analyze utilization of disaster relief services and identify areas for improvement in health and social systems emergency preparedness.

Purpose: To assess emergency shelter services and needs based on a survey conducted by Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.

Methods: A needs assessment survey was performed at 168 general and 9 special need shelters in Louisiana ten days after Hurricane Katrina's landfall. Data collected through assessment forms contained contact information, summary findings, and data about shelter demographics, capacity, disease surveillance, medical drugs/equipment and environmental health. Research and data analyses were based on two assumptions, a) there is a causal relationship between vulnerability to disasters and socio-economic status, gender, ethnicity, age, disability and long-term health condition, b) vulnerability as a dynamic phenomenon could be defined locally. Statistical analyses on data determined the effect of sheltering operations on the health status of residents.

Results: Findings confirmed hypothesized contribution of community organizations to disaster relief efforts. Individuals seeking for community support were predominantly medically dependent, elderly, children, people with long-term health conditions and low socioeconomic status. Analyses of various aspects of shelter services, including health care referral systems, transportation and communications demonstrated the need for better integration of community organizations in state and federal level disaster relief activities.

Conclusions: Results suggested that advanced resource planning and additional trained staff and volunteers were needed, and therefore could be used for developing of performance standards, predictive modeling and pre-event planning with community partners to improve emergency preparedness.

Learning Objectives:
The goal of the presentation is to share with the participants in the Community Health Planning and Policy Development Session data and results from a needs assessment survey describing and analyzing an unprecedented emergency situation. The participants will acquire knowledge and skills in the area of emergency preparedness for health and social care systems. The participants will be able to demonstrate knowledge of application of needs assessments survey and recognize the importance of an interdisciplinary approach in emergency analysis and planning. They will be able to formulate strategies for recruitment and training of volunteers and develop need assessment instruments. Learning objectives for the participants include: - ability to incorporate emergency shelter preparedness principles into their respective work projects or into curricula if they are involved in teaching and training. - develop emergency preparedness competencies and training programs in health departments, hospitals, health care units and health professional schools.

Keywords: Disasters, Public Health Policy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: The presentation is based on the outhor's dissertation research. The author participated in an emergency preparedeness planning and coordinating activities internship at the Office of Emergency Preparedness of Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.
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.

See more of: Disaster and Emergency Preparedness
See more of: Community Health Planning and Policy Development