The health care system seems to have withstood the worst of Hurricane Sandy despite some high-profile breakdowns, including the evacuation of several New York City hospitals. But experts warn that mounting budget cuts could hamper the ability of hospitals and government agencies to respond to future disasters.
Local, state and federal government agencies coordinated with each other and health care facilities to ensure the safety net would hold together during the disaster. In the hardest-hit areas of New York and New Jersey, hospitals remain open despite power outages affecting the region.
“The health care system is pretty robust around the country. We’ve evidenced that here,” said Jerome Hauer, commissioner of the New York state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Hauer especially praised the federal government’s response to Sandy, saying the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services moved 2,100 medical personnel to New York and set up six temporary treatment sites with 1,500 beds in Brooklyn and Long Island.
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