title: Spatial Shift in the Utilization of Mental Health Services After Hurricane Sandy Among New York City Residents Enrolled in Medicaid.
abstract: Closure of several New York City (NYC) hospitals after Hurricane Sandy caused an unanticipated, extended surge in patient demand at open hospitals. This study identified hospitals with a significant increase in mental-health-related emergency department, inpatient, and outpatient visits from Medicaid patients displaced by Hurricane Sandy.
  
  
  
  NYC Medicaid patients were classified into non-mutually-exclusive geographic categories corresponding to residence in areas served by Bellevue Hospital Center and Coney Island Hospital, the hurricane impact area, and all of NYC. For each geographic region, we compared the observed to the expected number of service visits in the 6 months after the storm. The expected number of visits was calculated from 2-year trends in mental health claims.
  
  
  
  Twenty-four facilities in all 5 NYC boroughs experienced patient redistribution from storm-affected areas. Eighteen facilities had a concurrent surge in total Medicaid patients, which suggested that redistribution had a greater impact on resource use at these locations.
  
  
  
  The redistribution of Medicaid patients after Hurricane Sandy increased mental health service utilization at facilities not near flooded areas. Our findings can aid in surge capacity planning and thereby improve the continuity of mental health care after a natural disaster. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:420-427).
authors.affiliation: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene,New York,New York.
authors.forename: Gerod
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.affiliation: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene,New York,New York.
authors.forename: Jillian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jessup
authors.affiliation: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene,New York,New York.
authors.forename: Sungwoo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene,New York,New York.
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.affiliation: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene,New York,New York.
authors.forename: Amber Levanon
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Seligson
authors.affiliation: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene,New York,New York.
authors.forename: Fangtao Tony
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene,New York,New York.
authors.forename: Nneka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: De La Cruz
authors.affiliation: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene,New York,New York.
authors.forename: Charon
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gwynn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D055867:Cyclonic Storms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D062305:Geographic Mapping; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009519:New York City; D055872:Surge Capacity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States
keywords: Hurricane Sandy; Medicaid; emergency preparedness; mental health; statistical process control