Lessons Learned from a Medical Response Team 45 Days Post Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

Area of Science:

• Disaster medicine
• Public health interventions
• Grassroots humanitarian aid

Background:

• Hurricane Maria caused widespread devastation in Puerto Rico.
• Non-governmental disaster medical teams (DMTs) play a crucial role in post-disaster healthcare.
• Understanding the lived experience of these teams is vital for optimizing future responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the lived experience of a grassroots, non-governmental disaster medical team (DMT).
• To share practical lessons learned from a DMT's post-Hurricane Maria experience.
• To inform and support future disaster response teams.

Main Methods:

• A non-governmental DMT provided primary medical care in community-based pop-up clinics and home visits 45 days after Hurricane Maria.
• Data collection included observational data, photographs, and debriefing notes documented in daily activity logs.
• Field notes were analyzed using descriptive coding, categorized into public health and medical diagnosis domains.

Main Results:

• Nearly 300 residents received medical aid.
• Observations revealed exhaustion linked to living conditions and exacerbated chronic health issues (e.g., reactive airway diseases, diabetes, hypertension, depression).
• Home visits uncovered significant sadness and helplessness stemming from trauma and ongoing living conditions.

Conclusions:

• The non-governmental DMT exhibited characteristics similar to federal DMTs in post-disaster settings.
• Key strategic lessons emerged from this public health intervention for future non-governmental DMTs.
• This study highlights the importance of understanding grassroots team experiences for effective disaster medical response.