title: Merging Outpatient Addiction and Opioid-Maintenance Programs During A Disaster: Lessons From Hurricane Sandy.
abstract: After Hurricane Sandy flooded Bellevue Hospital in New York City, its opiate maintenance patients were displaced and Bellevue's outpatient program was temporarily merged with the program at Metropolitan Hospital for continuation of care. The merger forced Metropolitan to accommodate a program twice as large as its own and required special staff coordination and adjustments in clinical care.
  
  
  
  Physicians, clinicians, and administrators from both institutions participated in interviews regarding the merger.
  
  
  
  Issues that emerged in the interviews fell into 4 major themes: (1) organization and meshing of professional cultures, (2) regulation, (3) communication, and (4) accommodations.
  
  
  
  Despite these barriers, data collected after the merger showed high retention rates and low rates of positive urine toxicology results. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:531-537).
authors.affiliation: 1Boston University School of Medicine,Boston,Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Vishal K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: 2Departments of Psychiatry and Anthropology,New York University,New York,New York, andNathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research,Orangeburg,New York.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.affiliation: 3Department of Psychiatry,New York University,New York,New York.
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mendoza
authors.affiliation: 4New York University School of Medicine,New York,New York.
authors.forename: Xinlin Linda
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: 5Department of Psychiatry,New York Medical College,New York,New York.
authors.forename: Ronnie G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Swift
mesh_terms: D000073316:Addiction Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D055867:Cyclonic Storms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D009519:New York City; D058850:Opiate Substitution Treatment / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: disaster medicine; emergency preparedness; hurricane