Ramphal Lilly
School of Public Health, University of North Texas, Fort Worth, Texas.
Retired medical director, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas.
Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent). 2018 Apr 26;31(3):294-296. doi: 10.1080/08998280.2018.1459399. eCollection 2018 Jul.
A community clinic in Puerto Rico, the Bantiox Clinic, was developed to serve the medical needs of Toa Baja and the surrounding communities after Hurricanes Irma and Maria in response to an urgent need for medical treatment of the community residents. Within 4 months, the clinic had 4941 total visits. The Toa Baja residents used the clinic more than the offsite residents. Certain offsite towns needed medical care more than others, suggesting a lack of medical access in the mountainous areas. Elderly patients with chronic diseases were served more than younger patients. Hypertension, diabetes, and medication refills appeared to be the primary reasons for treatment. The suicide rate increased 16% from 2016. The unemployment rate and the migration rate in all occupations have continued to increase after Hurricane Maria. Puerto Rico is a human laboratory that shows the medical needs of an island after devastating climate events and provides insight on ways to better prepare for such emergencies.
波多黎各的一家社区诊所——班蒂奥克斯诊所，是在伊尔玛和玛丽亚飓风过后为满足托阿巴哈及周边社区的医疗需求而设立的，以应对社区居民对医疗救治的迫切需求。在4个月内，该诊所的总就诊量达到4941人次。托阿巴哈的居民比非本地居民更多地使用该诊所。某些非本地城镇比其他城镇更需要医疗服务，这表明山区缺乏医疗服务。患有慢性病的老年患者比年轻患者得到了更多的治疗。高血压、糖尿病和药物续方似乎是主要的治疗原因。自杀率自2016年以来上升了16%。玛丽亚飓风过后，所有职业的失业率和移民率持续上升。波多黎各是一个人类实验室，展示了灾难性气候事件后一个岛屿的医疗需求，并为更好地应对此类紧急情况提供了见解。
