Disaster Preparedness & Response Resource Center

Just as Alan Tyroch, MD, sat down to breakfast in Las Vegas on the morning of Aug. 3, celebrating his mother in-law’s 90th birthday, a gunman walked into a Walmart hundreds of miles away in his hometown of El Paso and opened fire, ultimately killing 22 people and injuring 24 more.

Materials in this handbook provide guidance for many emergency situations commonplace in Texas. These guidelines can help the practice identify key emergencies, know what to do in an emergency situation, and plan for the safety of your team. The handbook provides tips on how to train your staff and help develop strategies for resuming functions after an emergency occurs.
1.75 AMA PRA Cat. 1 • 1.75 ETHICS

Today’s Texas Medical Association Legislative Hotline video examines Senate Bill 752, which will allow physicians and health care providers to voluntarily respond to disasters without fear of medical liability.

If you want to help physicians in California who have been devastated by the ongoing wildfires, the California Medical Association (CMA) and its charitable arm, Physicians for a Healthy California, are taking donations through a recently created webpage.

Studies of the public health, mental health, and environmental effects of the storm could take years to complete. Meanwhile, physician practices share their own lessons learned.

When she made it back to her office five days after Hurricane Harvey devastated the Gulf Coast, Webster pediatrician Angelina Farella, MD, thought the storm had let her off easy. When she thought she saw only blown-in water, her initial assessment that day was, “We escaped.”

TMA's Disaster Relief Fund provided monetary gifts to 54 practices in 18 cities, including Houston, Friendswood, Beaumont, Victoria, Kingwood, Columbus, Port Arthur, and Spring. The practices employ 168 physicians and 1,302 non-physician staff members.

Six months after Hurricane Harvey ravaged the Texas coast, the Texas Medical Association continues to provide financial assistance to practices the storm damaged.

Hurricane Harvey devastated the Texas coast in late August. Widespread flooding in the Houston area wiped out thousands of homes and businesses, including countless medical facilities and practices. Although the short-term health concerns may be apparent, longer-term effects associated with stress and environmental issues can be harder to spot.

Areas in Texas affected by Hurricane Harvey have entered full recovery phase as the storm has moved out of the state. The state has put a variety of resources in place, but recovery and public health initiatives will be coordinated mostly by local officials and facilities in the affected areas.

TMA takes you inside the recovery effort in Aransas Pass, where physicians and staff are doing everything they can to restore hope and health care to their community.

TMA takes you inside the recovery effort in Aransas Pass, where physicians and staff are doing everything they can to restore hope and health care to their community.

See a video of floodwaters rising into NightLight Pediatric Urgent Care and the damage caused by the storm. 

It is difficult to watch as our beloved state suffers from the catastrophic effects of Hurricane Harvey. Even more difficult is the number of Texans displaced as they evacuate to safe places. This means many Texans are seeking medical care outside of their usual region or network of physicians. It helps to know that health information exchanges (HIE) are available to assist physicians by providing access to a patient’s information at the point of care.