Preparedness and response at long-term care facilities following Hurricane Sandy: A qualitative analysis of experiences and attitudes among staff and administrators

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 383-398
Author(s):  
Lynn Jiang, MD ◽  
Christopher M. Tedeschi, MD, MA
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Semistructured Interview ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Care Facilities

Background: In late 2012, Hurricane Sandy struck the eastern United States. Healthcare infrastructure in New York City—including long-term care facilities (LTCFs)—was affected significantly. The authors examined the impact of the storm on LTCFs 2 years after the event, using a qualitative approach consisting of a semistructured interview focused on preparedness and response. Important insights regarding preparedness and response may be lost by quantitative analysis or outcome measurement alone. During Sandy, individuals at LTCFs experienced the event in important subjective ways that, in aggregate, could lead to valuable insights about how facilities might mitigate future risks. The authors used data from a semistructured interview to generate hypotheses regarding the preparation and response of LTCFs. The interview tool was designed to help develop theories to explain why LTCF staff and administrators experienced the event in the way they did, and to use that data to inform future policy and research. Methods: Representatives from LTCFs located in a heavily affected area of New York City were approached for participation in a semistructured interview. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed. Recurrent themes were coded based on time period (before, during, or after the storm) and content. A grounded theory approach was used to identify important themes related to the participants’ experiences.Results: A total of 21 interviews were conducted. Several overarching themes were identified, including a perception that facilities had not prepared for an event of such magnitude, of inefficient communication and logistics during evacuation, and of lack of easily identifiable or appropriate resources after the event. Access to electrical power emerged as a key identifier of recovery for most facilities. The experience had a substantial psychological impact on LTCF staff regardless of whether they evacuated or sheltered in place during the storm.Conclusion: Representatives from LTCFs affected by Sandy experienced the preparation, response, and recovery phases of the event with a unique perspective. Their insights offer evidence which can be used to generate testable hypothesis regarding similar events in the future, and can inform policy makers and facility administrators alike as they prepare for extreme weather events in similar settings. Results specifically suggest that LTCFs develop plans which carefully address the unique qualities of extreme weather events, including communication with local officials, evacuation and transfer needs in geographic areas with multiple facilities, and plans for the safe transfer of residents. Emergency managers at LTCFs should consider electrical power needs with the understanding that in extreme weather events, power failures can be more protracted than in other types of emergencies.

Cross-sectional Survey of Long-Term Care Facilities in the Rockaway Peninsula: Preparedness and Response During Hurricane Sandy

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-200
Author(s):  
Lynn Jiang ◽  
Christopher Tedeschi ◽  
Saleena Subaiya
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Care Facilities

AbstractBackgroundFew studies have described the challenges experienced by long-term care facilities (LTCFs) following Hurricane Sandy. This study examined LTCF preparedness and experiences during and after the storm.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted 2 years after Hurricane Sandy to assess LTCF demographics, preparation, and post-storm resources. Surveys were conducted at LTCFs located on the Rockaway Peninsula of New York City. All LTCFs located in a heavily affected area were approached.ResultsOf 29 facilities, 1 had closed, 5 did not respond, 9 declined to participate, and 14 participated, yielding a response rate of 50% for open facilities. Twenty-one percent of the facilities had preparations specifically for hurricanes. More than 70% of the facilities had lost electricity, heat, and telephone service, and one-half had evacuated. Twenty-one percent of the facilities reported not receiving any assistance and over one-half reported that relief resources did not meet their needs.ConclusionsMany LTCFs lacked plans specific to such a large-scale event. Since nearly all of the LTCFs in the region were affected, preexisting transportation and housing plans may have been inadequate. Future preparation could include hazard-specific planning and reliance on resources from a wider geographic area. Access to electricity emerged as a top priority. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:194–200)

Building-level analyses to prospectively detect influenza outbreaks in long-term care facilities: New York City, 2013-2014

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (8) ◽  
pp. 839-843 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Levin-Rector ◽  
Beth Nivin ◽  
Alice Yeung ◽  
Annie D. Fine ◽  
Sharon K. Greene
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
York City ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Influenza Outbreaks ◽  
Building Level

Improving the Fate of Nursing Homes During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Need for Policy

2021 ◽  
pp. e1-e3
Author(s):  
R. Tamara Konetzka
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
New York ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
New York Times ◽  
The United States ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Care Facilities

Approximately 40% of all COVID-19 deaths in the United States have been linked to long-term care facilities.1 Early in the pandemic, as the scope of the problem became apparent, the nursing home sector generated significant media attention and public alarm. A New York Times article in mid-April referred to nursing homes as “death pits”2 because of the seemingly uncontrollable spread of the virus through these facilities. This devastation continued during subsequent surges,3 but there is a role for policy to change this trajectory. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print January 28, 2021: e1–e3. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306107 )

Adaptation to Future Risks in Coastal Megacities — New York City Case Study: Local Assessment and Survey Findings in Water Front Neighborhoods

2018 ◽  
Vol 05 (01) ◽  
pp. 1850002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hildegaard Link ◽  
Chris Barrett
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
York City ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Water Front

Risk management regimes develop as stakeholders attempt to reduce vulnerability to hazards and limit the damage and disruption from disasters. Urban coastal regions are often hotspots of climate change-related risks. Analysis of different characteristics of vulnerability, resilience, and transformation is an important precursor to planning and decision making. While these concepts are not new, in many areas they remain very abstract. This paper offers a method to assess vulnerability at the individual household scale in different New York City water front neighborhoods that were extensively damaged during hurricane Sandy in 2012. Household Surveys were conducted in Red Hook, Brooklyn and Edgemere/Arverne, Queens in early 2016. Survey results suggest that at the household level, feelings of preparedness and trust in local government’s ability to effectively manage and respond to extreme weather differ with the varying political/economic climates of each neighborhood. Our survey results also indicate that residents are changing their emergency planning behavior, regardless of politics or economics. Responses show residents adapting their thinking to acknowledge the potential for increasing risk from extreme weather events in both locations studied.

scholarly journals Assessing the impacts of extreme weather events on potable water quality: the value to managers of a highly participatory, integrated modelling approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-24
Author(s):  
Edoardo Bertone ◽  
Oz Sahin ◽  
Russell Richards ◽  
Anne Roiko
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
Extreme Events ◽  
Drinking Water Treatment ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Integrated Modelling ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Sd Model

Abstract A decision support tool was created to estimate the treatment efficiency of an Australian drinking water treatment system based on different combinations of extreme weather events and long-term changes. To deal with uncertainties, missing data, and nonlinear behaviours, a Bayesian network (BN) was coupled with a system dynamics (SD) model. The preliminary conceptual structures of these models were developed through stakeholders' consultation. The BN model could rank extreme events, and combinations of them, based on the severity of their impact on health-related water quality. The SD model, in turn, was used to run a long-term estimation of extreme events' impacts by including temporal factors such as increased water demand and customer feedback. The integration of the two models was performed through a combined Monte Carlo–fuzzy logic approach which allowed to take the BN's outputs as inputs for the SD model. The final product is a participatory, multidisciplinary decision support system allowing for robust, sustainable long-term water resources management under uncertain conditions for a specific location.

Transit Information Utilization during an Extreme Weather Event: An Analysis of Smartphone App Data

2018 ◽  
Vol 2672 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Coline Remy ◽  
Candace Brakewood ◽  
Niloofar Ghahramani ◽  
Eun Jin Kwak ◽  
Jonathan Peters
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Transportation Systems ◽  
Extreme Weather Event ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Weather Event ◽  
Information Utilization ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Shared Mobility

Extreme weather events such as heavy snow can severely disrupt urban transportation systems. When this occurs, travelers often seek information about the status of transportation services. This study aims to assess information utilization during an extreme weather event by analyzing data from a smartphone application (“app”) called Transit, which provides real-time transit and shared mobility information in many cities. This research focuses on a snowstorm that hit the northeastern United States in January 2016 and severely disrupted transit and shared mobility services. An analysis of Transit app data is conducted in four parts for New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. First, hourly app utilization during the snowstorm was compared with mean hourly app utilization prior to the storm. Second, the rate of app usage was calculated by dividing hourly utilization during the storm by the mean hourly volume before the storm. Third, an ordinary least squares regression model of hourly app usage was estimated for each city. Last, a feature within the app used to request Uber vehicles was examined. The results of the first three analyses reveal that overall app usage decreased during the snowstorm in all three cities; after the storm, New York experienced a significant increase in overall app use during the first Monday commuting period. The analysis of Uber data reveals that app users continued to search for ridehailing services during the snowstorm, despite travel bans. These findings are important for transportation operators and app developers to understand how travelers use information during extreme weather events.

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