As Gustav Approaches, Katrina Wounds Remain
New Research Suggests Many Still Battle Anxiety, Other Mental Health Issues
Worse, medical officials in New Orleans said the city's hospitals have yet to return to pre-Katrina capacity. Even accounting for the population decline that occurred after the storm, Dr. Russell Klein, president of the Louisiana State Medical Society, said that the number of beds available is much lower than what you would expect to find -- and lower than what is needed. Before Hurricane Katrina, there were 23 state licensed hospitals in Orleans Parish; in June of this year, only 13 were open.
But where the shortages are really being felt, Klein said, are in general medical surgery units, psychiatrists, primary care physicians, nurses, and other support staff. This translates into a sicker population that is increasingly straining emergency room capabilities. In fact, projections suggest that by next year, the five major New Orleans will be $405 million in debt.
But in some ways, Dr. Klein said, "the shortage in doctors is an easier problem to solve than the shortages in nurses and support staff." This, he said, is because it is hard to recruit people back to the city given the severe shortage of affordable rental units, the school situation, and a general lack of neighborhood amenities.
The fact that such staples have not yet been restored is a major part of the problem for displaced persons as well, Lawry said.
"One thing we know from other disasters around the world is that chronic illnesses do not get better, particularly if the public health infrastructure is destroyed, as was the case with Katrina," she said. "Three years out is a long time in this country to have not resolved some of these issues."
Much Work Left to Be Done
Lawry said that first and foremost, housing issues must be resolved -- a tall order, as more than 30,000 of the 2.5 million people displaced by Katrina still live in FEMA trailers. Health care access must also be improved.
FEMA did not return a telephone message requesting comment on the Katrina disaster and the threat from Gustav. But while the agency's handling of the emergency response from the storm three years ago is still a sore spot for many, Lawry said it is not yet time to assign blame -- particularly since mortality rates in the region have still not leveled off to pre-Katrina levels.
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