NYMC Faculty Publications

Merging Outpatient Addiction and Opioid-maintenance Programs During a Disaster: Lessons from Hurricane Sandy

DOI

10.1017/dmp.2016.190

Journal Title

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness

First Page

531

Last Page

537

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

October 2017

Department

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: After Hurricane Sandy flooded Bellevue Hospital in New York City, its opiate maintenance patients were displaced and Bellevue's outpatient program was temporarily merged with the program at Metropolitan Hospital for continuation of care. The merger forced Metropolitan to accommodate a program twice as large as its own and required special staff coordination and adjustments in clinical care. METHODS: Physicians, clinicians, and administrators from both institutions participated in interviews regarding the merger. RESULTS: Issues that emerged in the interviews fell into 4 major themes: (1) organization and meshing of professional cultures, (2) regulation, (3) communication, and (4) accommodations. CONCLUSIONS: Despite these barriers, data collected after the merger showed high retention rates and low rates of positive urine toxicology results. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;page 1 of 7).

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