Deadly Neglect by Jim Blair, 152 pages. This is the second book of Jim’s I have read recently. In this book Jim writes around the doctoral dissertation of Dr. Marti Jordon. Her  stated purpose of her investigation was ” to describe the experiences of nurses providing care for patients in hospital facilities in Mississippi and Louisiana during and after Hurricane Katrina.”

Reading about Dr. Jordon’s interviews with nurses is the stuff that nightmares are made of for anyone in the healthcare field. I find it frustrating that across this country and globe in many cases we give lip service to preparedness. Never willing to do the right thing because it’s the right thing, rather wait until government funding is available to pay for it. Even then too many just build capacity to the minimums required in the grant deliverables.

Jim does a great job describing how this really was a set-up and that very little has or will be done to correct it. As a former administrator I understand the need to prioritize where dollars go. All I would ask is if the decision is made to not make preparedness a priority through staffing and a budget, they need to advise their staff.  I’m fine coming up with my own plan to achieve outcomes, but at least let me know that is the expectation.

The book is a quick read and disturbing how nursing staff and others were left on their own. Take the time to read it and get involved in preparedness. I doubt the c-suite really wants to be the inspiration of a doctoral investigation on failure to maintain a reasonable level of care.