Impact of Hurricane Sandy on the Staten Island University Hospital Emergency Department

Abstract

The daily ED census saw a significant decline in the days preceding the storm. In addition, the type of conditions treated varied from baseline, and a considerable drop in hospital admissions was seen. Data such as these presented here can help make predictions for future scenarios. Greenstein J , Chacko J , Ardolic B , Berwald N . Impact of Hurricane Sandy on the Staten Island University Hospital emergency department. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2016;31(3):335-339.

Impact of Nepal Earthquake on Patients Presenting for Emergency Care at Patan Hospital

“…Increases in exacerbations of chronic health conditions, including COPD, pneumonia, and acute and chronic kidney disease, have been reported in other post-disaster situations. [8][9][10]11,12,[17][18][19] In some cases, this may be related to weather patterns or patterns of injury, such as crush injury leading to worsening renal function. In this study, contributing factors to worsening chronic issues likely include lack of access to medications, lack of access to primary care or outpatient clinics, increased psychosocial stressors, and poorer living conditions in the months following the disaster.…”

“…In addition to the immediate impact of the disaster, secondary effects of disasters such as infrastructure damage, lack of sanitation, impact on health care workforce, distribution of resources, and increased psychosocial needs have been shown to impact public health and health care utilization in the aftermath of a disaster. 1,2 A number of studies have documented the increased risk of communicable diseases, 3,4 the psychosocial impact related to disasters (increased alcohol abuse, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression), [5][6][7] increased chronic health exacerbations such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), [8][9][10] and decreased facility utilization for operative procedures and deliveries as well as decreased health care utilization for HIV, malaria, and other infectious diseases (ID). 2 Few studies have evaluated the impact that disasters have had on health care utilization in the months and years following a disaster.…”

All-Cause Hospital Admissions Among Older Adults After a Natural Disaster

“…3 Psychiatric ED visits remained higher than baseline in the six months after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. 4 ED use varied at individual hospitals after Hurricane Sandy, with visits the day of the disaster consistently lower than normal across all studies, [5][6][7] while 30% of dialysis centers experienced some degree of weather-related impact on operations in the aftermath of the June 2012 mid-Atlantic storms in the U.S. 8 An increase in all-cause admissions was found in the 30 days after Hurricane Katrina among dialysis patients. 9 Yet, evaluating hospitalizations for any cause on a 'whole disaster' scale have remained limited in the disaster health literature.…”

Impact of Hurricane Sandy on the Staten Island University Hospital Emergency Department

“…Staten Island, one of NYC’s five boroughs, suffered significant devastation after the storm. Fifty-three deaths were reported in New York State 1 secondary to Hurricane Sandy; 24 of those deaths occurred on Staten Island 2…”