Transcript:
When Superstorm Sandy hit New York City in 2012, Arnab Ghosh was a resident physician at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan.
Months later, when he saw some of his patients again for the first time since the storm, he found that many were struggling to manage their health conditions.
Ghosh: “They hadn’t taken their medications because they weren’t sure where to find them. They were sicker in various measures. Their blood pressure was not as well controlled. Their diabetes was worse.”
It prompted Ghosh – now an assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medicine – to study how disasters affect people’s health over time.
His team analyzed Medicare data for more than 120,000 older adults who lived in New Jersey, New York City, and Connecticut during and after Superstorm Sandy.
They found that those living in ZIP codes that flooded during the storm had higher rates of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular problems in the five years that followed.
He says it shows there’s a need for long-term health monitoring and support for people affected by climate disasters, who often endure great stress and anxiety.
Ghosh: “That disruption to their lives is actually having a real and complex impact upon their health.”
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media
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