US safety net's response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake: An overview of public hospital disaster relief efforts

In times of disaster, safety net hospitals – including members of the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (NAPH) – have distinguished themselves as critical leaders in recovery efforts. Perhaps this is because public hospitals often provide the only Level I trauma centers (or the only trauma centers of any kind) in their communities, and serve as first responders in mass casualty events. However, as evidenced by the US safety net's response to the earthquake that struck Haiti in January 2010, this expertise is not limited to crises that occur on US soil. Public safety net hospitals have offered their extensive trauma and disaster response services to Haitian victims by receiving airlifted patients, traveling to and providing clinical care in the devastated areas, and conducting on-site assessments to help develop public health infrastructure to cope with long-term medical needs.

To understand the full range of safety net response efforts to the Haiti earthquake, and importantly, to identify best practices that can prove useful in future disasters, NAPH researchers have conducted a study to identify the range of activities undertaken by NAPH members to aid the Haitian recovery effort. This includes a comprehensive peer-reviewed and grey literature review using PubMed and the Internet, as well as interviews with senior executives at such hospitals and health systems. In this presentation, the Assistant Vice President for Research at NAPH, will share an analysis of the findings from NAPH's study.