Description:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec id="S1049023X00002818_sec01" sec-type="intro"><jats:title><jats:bold>Introduction:</jats:bold></jats:title><jats:p>The blackout in North America of August 2003 was one of the worst on record. It affected eight United States states and parts of Canada for >24 hours. Additionally, two large United States cities, Detroit, Michigan and Cleveland, Ohio, suffered from a loss of water pressure and a subsequent ban on the use of public supplies of potable water that lasted four days. A literature review revealed a paucity of literature that describes blackouts and how they may affect the medical community.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec id="S1049023X00002818_sec02" sec-type="methods"><jats:title><jats:bold>Methods:</jats:bold></jats:title><jats:p>This paper includes a review of after-action reports from four inner-city, urban hospitals supplemented accounts from the authors' hospital's emergency operations center (emergency operations center).</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec id="S1049023X00002818_sec03" sec-type="results"><jats:title><jats:bold>Results:</jats:bold></jats:title><jats:p>Some of the problems encountered, included: (1)lighting; (2) elevator operations; (3) supplies of water; (4) communication operations; (5) computer failure; (6) lack of adequate supplies of food; (7) mobility to obtain Xray studies; (8) heating, air condition, and ventilation; (9) staffing; (10) pharmacy; (11) registration of patients; (12) hospital emergency operations center; (13) loss of isolation facilities; (14) inadequate supplies of paper; (15) impaired ability to provide care for non-emergency patients; (16) sanitation; and (17) inadequate emergency power.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec id="S1049023X00002818_sec04" sec-type="discussion"><jats:title><jats:bold>Discussion:</jats:bold></jats:title><jats:p>The blackout of 2003 uncovered problems within the United States hospital system, ranging from staffing to generator coverage. This report is a review of the effects that the blackout and water ban of 2003 had on hospitals in a large inner-city area. Also discussed are solutions utilized at the time and recommendations for the future.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec id="S1049023X00002818_sec05" sec-type="conclusion"><jats:title><jats:bold>Conclusion:</jats:bold></jats:title><jats:p>The blackout of 2003 was an excellent test of disaster/emergency planning, and produced many valuable lessons to be used in future events.</jats:p></jats:sec>