title: Disasters; the 2010 Haitian earthquake and the evacuation of burn victims to US burn centers.
abstract: Response to the 2010 Haitian earthquake included an array of diverse yet critical actions. This paper will briefly review the evacuation of a small group of patients with burns to burn centers in the southeastern United States (US). This particular evacuation brought together for the first time plans, groups, and organizations that had previously only exercised this process. The response to the Haitian earthquake was a glimpse at what the international community working together can do to help others, and relieve suffering following a catastrophic disaster. The international response was substantial. This paper will trace one evacuation, one day for one unique group of patients with burns to burn centers in the US and review the lessons learned from this process. The patient population with burns being evacuated from Haiti was very small compared to the overall operation. Nevertheless, the outcomes included a better understanding of how a larger event could challenge the limited resources for all involved. This paper includes aspects of the patient movement, the logistics needed, and briefly discusses reimbursement for the care provided.
authors.affiliation: North Carolina Burn Disaster Program, EMS Performance Improvement Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, United States. Electronic address: Randy_kearns@med.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Randy D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Kearns
authors.affiliation: WFBMC Burn Center, Wake Forest Baptist Health System, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, United States.
authors.forename: James H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.affiliation: Healthcare System and Hospital Preparedness Program Coordinator, North Carolina Office of EMS, United States.
authors.forename: Mary Beth
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Skarote
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, United States.
authors.forename: Charles B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Cairns
authors.affiliation: ESF8 Program Manager, Bureau of Preparedness and Response, Emergency Preparedness and Community Support/Florida Department of Health, United States.
authors.forename: Samantha Cooksey
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Strickland
authors.affiliation: Burn Center, Orlando Regional Medical Center, University of Central Florida College of Medicine, United States.
authors.forename: Howard G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, United States.
authors.forename: Bruce A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Cairns
mesh_terms: D002053:Burn Units / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002056:Burns / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy*; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D055866:Earthquakes; D005260:Female; D006205:Haiti; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D008297:Male; D054527:Mass Casualty Incidents; D008484:Medicaid / Q000191:economics; D010360:Patient Transfer / Q000458:organization & administration*; D055872:Surge Capacity; D014481:United States
keywords: Burn disaster; Burn mass casualty; Burn surge; Disaster plan; EMS; ESF-8; Earthquake; Florida; Haiti; North Carolina; Southern Burn Disaster Plan; US TRANSCOM