Healthcare Disaster Preparedness Poor

In spite of the federal government spending nearly $ billion for disaster preparedness since 2002, some believe that that the US healthcare system is poorly equipped to respond to a major disaster, saying that disaster planning is still sporadic and disconnected from organization to organization. A national study confirms this.

The study, based on interviews with top healthcare industry leaders said that while “significant progress has been made since 9/11, many gaps in care and preparedness continue to exist.
"When a disaster hits, Americans rely on a fragmented health care system to miraculously mount a timely, cohesive, and effective recovery effort," said the report by PricewaterhouseCoopers' Health Research Institute. "Yet, the carefully orchestrated and sequenced medical responses to disasters lean on a disjointed health system."

The report goes on to say that facilities and staff resources are limited, public health and private sector plans are poorly coordinated and that communications and tracking systems are incompatible with one another. Funding is not yet available to support the development of a sustainable infrastructure in the case of a national disaster.

In a related report by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), it was found that more work needs to be done on the nation’s emergency health preparedness effort.

"The improvements in state preparedness are encouraging, but the job of preparing the United States for major health emergencies is not nearly done," said Jeff Levi, executive director of TFAH. "And, just when we are beginning to see a return on the federal investment in preparedness programs, the president and Congress have continued to cut these funds. These efforts may seem penny wise now, but could prove pound foolish later."

The report found that seven states and the District of Columbia do not have the capabilities to test for biological threats; seven states have not purchased any antiviral agents to use during a pandemic flu, which TFAH said "places the entire nation at risk," and 21 state do not have statutes for adequate liability protection for healthcare volunteers during emergencies.