Hurricane Beryl Aftermath: A Community in Crisis

In the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, Legacy Community Health continues to support patients and neighbors, addressing both medical and non-medical health needs.

by Ashley Guidry, Communications Associate

Two weeks after Hurricane Beryl hit Houston, the struggle to recover continues. Many individuals are still without power, uncertain of when their homes will be restored. What’s worse is that studies show hurricanes and tropical storms can increase death rates by up to 33.4% in the months following the storm, largely due to infectious and parasitic diseases. Injuries that occur within a day or so generally result in immediate fatalities with disadvantaged communities bearing the brunt of these impacts.

Addressing Non-Medical Drivers of Health (NMDoH)

In addition to several hazards, hurricanes create long-term health issues such as difficulty accessing medications, inadequate medical care, and environmental dangers like carbon monoxide poisoning from improper generator use. For example, up to 40% of people affected by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita were living with chronic, long-term illnesses such as diabetes or heart disease.

The ability to prepare and recover from a storm is a significant equity issue. Many disadvantaged communities don’t have the resources to evacuate quickly or cope with the damage afterward. And many disadvantaged communities already bear the brunt of climate-induced health risks from extreme heat, poor air quality, flooding, extreme weather events, and vector borne diseases.

Feeding a family after a hurricane is challenging without electricity, clean water, proper food storage and access to fresh food. Improper food storage conditions in warehouses, supermarkets and home refrigerators can lead to spoilage and increased risk of food poisoning.

Community Relationships

Providers showing empathy and reliability for their patients has a positive effect on patient-provider relationships. Emotional support for patients reduces their feelings of isolation and anxiety. Understanding patients’ life circumstances benefits providers as well on how to best serve their patients.

Now more than ever, empathy for our communities is essential. Providers use non-medical information to manage decisions about diabetic patients, medication, patient recommendations and referrals. For example, a patient’s lack of access to a refrigerator can alter a physician’s prescribing patterns, especially during power outages as can other circumstances such as transportation issues and family responsibilities.

Legacy Takes Action

Recently, Legacy Community Health received donated hygiene items from the International Medical Corps, including 20 boxes of hygiene products, six boxes of sunscreen, six boxes of bug repellent, and 12 boxes of oral rehydration salts, which were distributed to patients and community members in need.

Legacy’s Health Connect team, AmeriCorps members, and the Facilities team worked tirelessly at the Food for Change Market distribution on Thursday, July 18^th at Legacy’s Santa Clara location. The team served over 175 households and distributed the remaining food to staff, volunteers and residents from neighboring communities. For their Civic Immersion Summer Fellowship, 45 Rice student volunteers joined Legacy helping streamline the market flow and distribute hygiene products. The Health Connect team then led clean-up efforts.

On Tuesday, July 23^rd Legacy Health Connect distributed hygiene products at the Lyons Clinic Mobile Market, along with food provided by the Houston Food Bank. Despite the influx of neighbors seeking assistance due to the hurricane’s impact and not being enrolled in the FoodRx program, Legacy continued to serve everyone without turning anyone away. This commitment aligned with the ongoing disaster declaration, which remained in effect until August 10^th. Legacy is proud to be a health care home for every community to help them on their health journey no matter the weather.

Legacy and the Houston Food Bank have a long-standing partnership to create an opportunity for patients to enroll in a food prescription service called FoodRX. When referred and screened positive for food insecurity by a Legacy provider, patients can redeem FoodRX vouchers twice a month at Food for Change Markets, where they can select up to 30 pounds of free fruits and vegetables plus four additional healthy items. This program occurs at Legacy’s Fifth Ward, Santa Clara, Southwest, Northline, Northside Irvington and Gulfton Dashwood locations. If you or your family are still on the lookout for food even after the storm, there are more Food for Change Markets available for qualified individuals. You can scan the QR codes to find more options to get food.

As natural disasters become more frequent, addressing non-medical determinants of health is essential for improving health outcomes and building resilient communities. At Legacy, we know there is never an end to health care and we’re here to help every step of the way.