Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-wq2xx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T21:27:34.130Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Examining New York City Hospitals’ Nonuse of Medical Volunteers in Disasters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 June 2015

Marsha Williams ,
Sally Trued ,
Betty Duggan  and
Darrin Pruitt
Marsha Williams*
Affiliation:
Healthcare Facilities Preparedness
Sally Trued
Affiliation:
Bureau of Healthcare System Readiness
Betty Duggan
Affiliation:
New York City Medical Reserve Corps
Darrin Pruitt
Affiliation:
Health and Medical Planning and Response, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response, New York, New York.
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Marsha Williams, MPH, Director, Healthcare Facilities Preparedness, Bureau of Healthcare System Readiness, Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 42-09 28th Street, 6th Floor, Long Island City, NY 11101-4132 (e-mail: mradclif@health.nyc.gov).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective

To describe hospitals’ perceptions of the New York City Medical Reserve Corps (NYC MRC); clarify administrative, legal, and clinical obstacles to the use of NYC MRC volunteers; and identify possible strategies to overcome these barriers.

Methods

We administered an informational questionnaire to 33 NYC hospitals and conducted 2 facilitated discussion groups comprising 62 hospital representatives.

Results

The most commonly reported hospital barriers to the use of MRC volunteers were concerns about the clinical competence of the volunteers, their lack of familiarity with medical technology used clinically in a hospital setting, and the potential for institutional liability.

Conclusions

Although the NYC MRC has the potential to assist the health care system in the event of a disaster, NYC hospitals will need clarification of the clinical and legal issues involved in the use of MRC volunteers for patient care. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;9:391–395)

Keywords

voluntary workersemergency preparednessdisasterspublic healthemergency service, hospital
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 9 , Issue 4 , August 2015 , pp. 391 - 395
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. Ransom, MM, Goodman, RA, Moulton, AD. Addressing gaps in health care sector legal preparedness for public health emergencies. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2008;2(1):50-56.Google Scholar
2. Hodge, JG Jr, Garcia, AM, Anderson, ED, et al. Emergency legal preparedness for hospitals and health care personnel. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2009;3(2 Suppl):S37-S44.Google Scholar
3. Hodge, JG Jr, Gable, LA, Cálves, SH, et al. Risk management in the wake of hurricanes and other disasters: hospital civil liability arising from the use of volunteer health professionals during emergencies. Michigan State University College of Law Journal of Medicine and Law. 2006;10(57). Wayne State University Law School Research Paper no. 08-28.Google Scholar
4. Hoffman, S, Goodman, RA, Stier, DD. Law, liability, and public health emergencies. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2009;3(2):117-125.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5. Hodge, JG Jr, Brown, EF. Assessing liability for health care entities that insufficiently prepare for catastrophic emergencies. JAMA. 2011;306(3):308-309.Google Scholar
6. Schultz, CH, Stratton, SJ. Improving hospital surge capacity: a new concept for emergency credentialing of volunteers. Ann Emerg Med. 2007;49(5):602-609.Google Scholar
7. Gebbie, KM, Peterson, CA, Subbarao, I, et al. Adapting standards of care under extreme conditions. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2009;3(2):111-116.Google Scholar
8. Kallman, M, Feury, KJ. Preparing for patient surge in emergency departments during a disaster. J Emerg Nurs. 2011;37(2):184-185.Google Scholar
9. McKinney’s General Municipal Law § 50-k. http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/em/mrc-liability-info.pdf. Accessed July 10, 2014.Google Scholar
10. Congressional Research Service. Emergency response: civil liability of volunteer health professionals. http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R40176.pdf. January 19, 2011. Accessed July 10, 2014.Google Scholar
11. Hodge, JG Jr. Legal issues concerning volunteer health professionals and the hurricane-related emergencies in the Gulf Coast region. Public Health Rep. 2006;6(121):205-207.Google Scholar
12. Hodge, JG Jr, Gable, LA, Cálves, SH. Volunteer health professionals and emergencies: assessing and transforming the legal environment. Biosecur Bioterror. 2005;3(3):216-223.Google Scholar
13. Paturas, JL, Smith, D, Smith, S, Albanese, J. Collective response to public health emergencies and large-scale disasters: putting hospitals at the core of community resilience. J Bus Contin Emer Plan. 2010;4(3):286-295.Google Scholar
14. New York State Executive Law Article 2-B. http://www.dhses.ny.gov/laws-policies/documents/Exec-Law-Art-2-B-2012.pdf. Accessed July 10, 2014.Google Scholar