Health Care Issues Among Disaster Preparedness Concerns
Los Angeles County is working to prepare response plans for a large earthquake or other disaster, including plans to distribute medications and address a lack of hospital beds, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, Los Angeles area officials have established a network of hospitals to treat patients in the event of a major earthquake and completed a list of doctors and nurses who have volunteered to provide treatment.
However, Carol Meyer, director of county emergency medical services, said the county has an inadequate supply of emergency departments and ventilators for such a situation.
In addition, the Times reports that most local hospitals are not in compliance with state seismic safety rules and that mobile hospitals are not available in the area.
County officials also are working to address a lack of disaster preparedness or response plans among unincorporated areas and develop evacuation procedures and policies for housing people left homeless by an earthquake (Bernstein, Los Angeles Times, 7/9).