Academic Response to Storm-Related Natural Disasters—Lessons Learned

Jerris R. Hedges, Karam F. A. Soliman, Gene D’Amour, Dong Liang, Carlos E. Rodríguez-Díaz, Kenira Thompson, Josefina Romaguera, Silvia E. Rabionet Sabater and Richard Yanagihara
Additional contact information
Jerris R. Hedges: John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii-Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
Karam F. A. Soliman: College of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL 32307, USA
Gene D’Amour: Office of the President, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA 70125, USA
Dong Liang: College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Texas Southern University, Houston, TX 77004, USA
Carlos E. Rodríguez-Díaz: Graduate School of Public Health, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, PR 00936, USA
Kenira Thompson: Ponce Research Institute, Ponce Health Sciences University, Ponce, PR 00732, USA
Josefina Romaguera: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, PR 00936, USA
Silvia E. Rabionet Sabater: Graduate School of Public Health, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, PR 00936, USA
Richard Yanagihara: John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii-Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 8, 1-8

Abstract: On 30 October 2017, selected faculty and administrators from Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) grantee institutions gathered to share first-hand accounts of the devastating impact of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, which had interrupted academic activities, including research, education, and training in Puerto Rico, Florida, and Texas. The presenters reviewed emergency response measures taken by their institutions to maintain community health care access and delivery, the storm-related impact on clinical and research infrastructure, and strategies to retain locally grown clinical expertise and translational science research talent in the aftermath of natural disasters. A longer-term perspective was provided through a comparative review of lessons learned by one New Orleans-based institution (now more than a decade post-storm) in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Caring for the internal and external communities associated with each institution and addressing the health disparities exacerbated by storm-related events is one key strategy that will pay long-term dividends in the survival of the academic institutions and the communities they serve.

Keywords: natural disaster; hurricane aftermath; academic institution resilience; health disparities; storm-related illness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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