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US officials have determined that public health emergencies now exist in Florida and Alabama as a result of Hurricane Isaias.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared public health emergencies in the two states on Tuesday, following President Donald Trump‘s emergency declaration for the states last week.
The public health emergency declaration helps cut through red tape so healthcare facilities can keep operating during and after a disaster.
Specifically, it authorizes temporary waivers for and modifications to certain health-related requirements.
This is to help the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to support healthcare providers and suppliers serving people enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in the covered emergency areas.
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Sean Kaufman said: ‘When a storm disrupts someone’s ability to get care, the need is immediate and personal.
‘I want the people affected by Hurricane Isaias to know that we are here to help. Our federal teams worked alongside state and local partners to understand what communities needed and to support the healthcare services they depend on.’
Hurricane Isaias brought wind gusts that exceeded 100 mph in parts of the Florida Panhandle. Pictured above is a destroyed convenience store in the aftermath of the hurricane in Milton, Florida
Pictured above is an aerial view of a tree that landed on a home in the aftermath of the hurricane in Milton, Florida
HHS’s declaration of the public health emergencies allows federal health officials to temporarily waive certain rules, making it easier for hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare providers to continue treating patients despite storm-related disruptions.
This gives hospitals and healthcare providers more flexibility if buildings are damaged, staff can’t reach work, patients need to be moved, or normal healthcare operations are disrupted by the hurricane.
For example, if a hospital has to evacuate patients, operate from a temporary location or cope with staffing shortages, it may be able to do so without facing some of the normal federal requirements.
HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr said: ‘Under President Trump’s leadership, HHS is giving healthcare providers in Florida and Alabama the flexibility to keep caring for patients in the wake of Hurricane Isaias.
‘We are helping them maintain essential services, respond quickly as needs change, and keep care available throughout the response and recovery.’
Hurricane Isaias was the first Atlantic hurricane in an unusually quiet hurricane season.
The storm developed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico in early October, quickly strengthened and made landfall near Destin, Florida, on October 9 as a Category 2 hurricane.
Isaias brought damaging winds, storm surges, heavy rainfall and tornado threats to parts of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and the broader Southeast.
Wind gusts exceeded 100 mph in parts of the Florida Panhandle and hundreds of thousands of customers lost power as the storm moved inland.
There were at least four storm-related deaths attributed to the hurricane after it made landfall.
