Six months later: The effect of Hurricane Katrina on health care for persons living with HIV/AIDS in New Orleans

Abstract

Nearly 13,000 Louisiana residents with HIV/AIDS were estimated to be living in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. Although minimal general outpatient primary care services were available within a few weeks following the hurricane in New Orleans, access to antiretroviral medications was an early problem. The largest HIV care provider, the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans HIV Outpatient Program (HOP), was able to assist in obtaining medications mid-October and opened an HIV clinic the first week of November in a temporary location. Services have slowly expanded in the five months since the HOP clinic opened but remain limited. Six months following the hurricane, microbiologic studies are still unable to be performed in clinic and uninsured patients must travel at least 70 miles for subspecialty care. The authors suggest recommendations for disaster planning for other centers caring for persons with HIV/AIDS based on the New Orleans experience.