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Hurricane Katrina's Effect on Nursing Homes & Hospitals

In the wake of the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina and the rupture of the levees around New Orleans, hospitals and nursing homes were faced with tough choices about how to best care for their patients under difficult circumstances.

  1. Nursing Homes

    • According to the Washington Post, many nursing homes in the affected area did not want to risk evacuating elderly or ill residents, with only 21 of 60 homes evacuating. Deaths occurred at some of the homes that did not evacuate, such as St. Rita's, where 34 corpses were found, leading to negligent homicide charges.

    Hospitals

    • Doctors and nurses labored around the clock in 90 degrees F heat to save their patients, a feat made more difficult by the lack of power and running water. After the first few harrowing days, the helicopters began arriving to evacuate patents. Thanks to the heroic efforts of hospital staffs, most of the evacuees survived.

    Lasting Impact

    • In addition to the financial costs of cleaning and rebuilding facilities, hospitals and nursing homes were also subjected to media scrutiny about the way they had responded to the disaster. This led many facilities to rethink their disaster protocols, ensuring that the storm's impact would be felt long after the cleanup was over.

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