Medical and psychosocial needs of the Puerto Rican people after Hurricane Maria

ABSTRACT

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.

KEYWORDS:

• Disaster relief
• hurricane
• Puerto Rico

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author thanks Dr. Jorge Rosado and the staff of the Bantiox Clinic, who helped gather the data for this article.