Katrina's Legacy Processes for Patient Disaster Preparation Have Improved but Important Gaps Remain

The authors present findings from a qualitative study of participants representing healthcare and social services organizations serving health disparate residents of the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coast. They note that participant organizations have implemented changes to ensure continuity of care for the chronically ill in case of disasters (e.g., evacuation planning and assistance; support to find resources in evacuation destinations; equipping patients with prescription information, diagnoses, treatment plans, and advance medications when a disaster is imminent), but that additional solutions are necessary to meet the needs of disparate populations more fully.