Arya Vibhuti, Medina Eric, Scaccia Allison, Mathew Cathleen, Starr David
Associate Clinical Professor, St. John's University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Queens, New York; Clinical Advisor, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Queens, New York.
Countermeasures Special Projects, Emergency Preparedness and Response, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Queens, New York.
Am J Disaster Med. 2016 Winter;11(1):21-30. doi: 10.5055/ajdm.2016.0221.
Hurricane Sandy was one of the most severe natural disasters to hit the Mid-Atlantic States in recent history. Community pharmacies were among the businesses affected, with flooding and power outages significantly reducing services offered by many pharmacies. The objectives of our study were to assess the impact of Hurricane Sandy on community pharmacies, both independently owned and chain, in the severely affected areas of New York City (NYC), including Coney Island, Staten Island, and the Rockaways, using qualitative methods, and propose strategies to mitigate the impact of future storms and disasters. Of the total 52 solicited pharmacies, 35 (67 percent) responded and were included in our analysis. Only 10 (29 percent) of the pharmacies surveyed reported having a generator during Hurricane Sandy; 37 percent reported being equipped with a generator at the time of the survey approximately 1 year later. Our findings suggest that issues other than power outages contributed more toward a pharmacy remaining operational after the storm. Of those surveyed, 26 (74 percent) suffered from structural damage (most commonly in Coney Island). Most pharmacies (71 percent) were able to reopen within 1 month. Despite staffing challenges, most pharmacies (88 percent) had enough pharmacists/staff to resume normal operations. Overall, 91 percent were aware of law changes for emergency medication access, and 81 percent found the information easy to obtain. This survey helped inform our work toward improved community resiliency. Our findings have helped us recognize community pharmacists as important stakeholders and refocus our energy toward developing sustained partnerships with them in NYC as part of our ongoing preparedness strategy.
飓风桑迪是近代袭击大西洋中部各州最严重的自然灾害之一。社区药房是受影响的企业之一，洪水和停电严重减少了许多药房提供的服务。我们研究的目的是使用定性方法评估飓风桑迪对纽约市（NYC）受严重影响地区（包括科尼岛、斯塔滕岛和洛克威）独立经营和连锁社区药房的影响，并提出减轻未来风暴和灾害影响的策略。在总共52家被征求意见的药房中，35家（67%）做出了回应并纳入我们的分析。在接受调查的药房中，只有10家（29%）报告在飓风桑迪期间有发电机；约1年后的调查时，37%的药房报告配备了发电机。我们的研究结果表明，停电以外的问题对风暴后药房继续营业的贡献更大。在接受调查的药房中，26家（74%）遭受了结构损坏（最常见于科尼岛）。大多数药房（71%）能够在1个月内重新开业。尽管存在人员配备挑战，但大多数药房（88%）有足够的药剂师/员工恢复正常运营。总体而言，91%的药房知晓紧急用药获取方面的法律变化，81%的药房认为该信息易于获取。这项调查有助于为我们改善社区复原力的工作提供信息。我们的研究结果帮助我们认识到社区药剂师是重要的利益相关者，并将我们的精力重新集中在与纽约市的他们建立持续的伙伴关系上，作为我们持续备灾战略的一部分。
