Document Type

Capstone Experience

Graduation Date

5-2024

Degree Name

Master of Public Health

Department

Epidemiology

First Committee Member

Dr. Sharon Medcalf

Second Committee Member

Dr. Rachel Lookadoo

Third Committee Member

Keith Hansen

Abstract

Hospitals are an essential component of any community’s infrastructure, and due to the nature of their services they are vulnerable when a disaster strikes. If a disaster is severe enough to warrant a hospital evacuation, both hospital and community leaders must decide how to proceed with the resources at their disposal. Organizations such as the World Health Organization, the United Nations, and the United States Department of Health and Human Services offer general guidance, but specifics as to how a hospital should proceed with an evacuation are left to individual hospital leaders and emergency management teams. This capstone project will review the existing literature surrounding hospital evacuations as well as recommendations from international authorities, identify gaps in current literature and official recommendations, and pinpoint opportunities for improvement in future hospital evacuations. As an attempt to address gaps in the literature, a four-step framework that can be utilized to provide structure to a hospital undertaking an evacuation will be recommended.

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