Four years ago, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, prompting a wave of refugees into Houston, many of whom stayed here. Now research shows that the storm had a serious impact on the evacuees’ physical and mental health and access to health care. But despite the difficulties of starting over in a new city, 68.2 percent of those surveyed said they would likely remain in Houston — there was little for them to return to in devastated New Orleans.
The survey results mean that Houston’s health care system will be significantly burdened in the years ahead, says Vivian Ho, the James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics, who conducted the study with Rice University political science professors Karoline Mortensen and Rick K. Wilson. This is sobering news for a city that currently meets less than one-third of the demand for its services and the area’s mental health facilities are at capacity.
While the majority of those surveyed were economically disadvantaged in New Orleans, the survey found that their fortunes fell further in Houston. A year after the storm, 68.2 percent said they were unemployed, although 58.2 percent had held jobs before Katrina. Almost 60 percent reported feelings such as fear, tension and spells of terror or panic at least a few times a week, but were not discussing their feelings with trained medical professionals. Nearly 28 percent felt their health was worse than it was before Katrina.
In the short term, the evacuees should have better access to health care, the authors say. In the long run, their employment needs should be addressed. Public health professionals must take a leadership role so that the aftereffects of Katrina don’t lead to greater social disparities, particularly in health care, the authors conclude.
For a more detailed analysis of the survey’s findings, download the September 2009 Health Policy Research newsletter, “Do the low-income evacuees who fled to Houston after Hurricane Katrina represent a significant long-term burden to the city’s health care system?”
Vivian Ho is the James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics. She is also an associate professor in the department of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and a professor in the department of economics at Rice University. Visit the Health Policy Forum Web site to learn more about her work.