Specifically, researchers found a worsening of chronic disease and mental illness, as well as barriers to individuals receiving care since they were displaced. But researchers said th meeting those needs were "essential" for ensuring recovery.
In a a population-based survey that assessed health care access of travel trailer park residents in Mississippi, researchers found a mismatch between a short-term planning approach and the long-term health requirements of internally displaced persons (IDPs).
The survey was done by Lynn Lawry, MD, MSPH, MSc, director of research and education with the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences' (USU) Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine (CDHAM).
"For the health needs of IDPs to be met, government (state and federal) and relief agencies need to ensure continuity of health coverage in the aftermath of a disaster, and develop long-term plans to address both chronic disease and mental health needs beyond the emergency response," Lawry, and assistants Nadine Shehab and Michael Anastario, said in a statement .
The study found that as the health care needs of the displaced people increased that the health resources available to them decreased.
Researchers found that only 48.7 percent of those interviewed reported having health insurance, which was a drop of ten percentage points of those who had coverage before the storm.
Lawry is the senior author of an article that was published in the journal Health Affairs, Aug. 29.
