By Nicole Lurie, Dr. Farzad Mostashari
Health IT Buzz Blog
On May 22, a devastating tornado struck Joplin, Mo., killing 134 and devastating a community of some 50,000 people. As one of a series of storms, it made 2011 the deadliest year for tornadoes in the United States in more than half a century.
As in all disasters, there were important lessons – not least, that nature will continue to inflict catastrophes unpredictably and in many forms. We learned once more about heroism, community spirit, and resilience in America. And we learned again about the importance of disaster preparedness.
In terms of health care, another lesson was repeated. The Joplin tornado proved once again the resilience and security afforded by hospitals and providers transitioning from paper to electronic health records (EHRs).
