![\"Exterior](\"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/accessiblehealthcare\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/422\/2025\/01\/MemorialNapoleonTrailers1-1024x649.jpg\")
Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, with temporary trailers outside. Photo by Opinions about the deaths varied. Some considered them criminal acts of homicide. Others labeled them as euthanasia. Still others claimed the deaths were not related to healthcare provider actions.<\/p>\r\n
No one was convicted, fined, or otherwise held to account for the deaths of the disabled, ill, fat, and\/or Black patients at Memorial Medical Center. This outcome was surprising, given the admission of many healthcare providers to having taken part in some of the planning and execution of the injections.<\/p>\r\n
The events at Memorial Medical Center in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina have provided important lessons to the medical and healthcare community:<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Key Takeaways<\/h3>\r\n<\/header>\r\n\r\n\r\n \t- Planning for safety matters:<\/strong> It is important to have a clear plan for patient and staff safety in the face of major emergencies. Check out the Ontario provincial government's webpage on Emergency preparedness<\/a> and the specific Emergency preparedness guide for people with disabilities<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n \t
- Bias shapes decisions:<\/strong> When we do not have a plan, our actions may be guided by dominant understandings of the way the world works. Unfortunately, this means our decisions around supporting vulnerable patients may be shaped by racism, classism, and\/or ableism. Consider Heidi Janz\u2019s discussion of the COVID-19 triage protocols in many Canadian provinces and internationally. Although fifteen years after the lessons of Katrina, disabled, chronically ill, and fat patients were relegated to the lowest priority for ventilators and other life-saving interventions during the early days of the pandemic. Similarly, residents of long-term care and nursing homes were effectively abandoned as staff feared for their own safety. Janz suggests that the failure to account for the safety of disabled people, to benignly neglect their needs, and to actively deny life-saving intervention, belies a eugenic ableism. Eugenic ableism holds that disability is excludable, undesirable, and must disappear to make the world a better place (Janz, 2023; Janz, 2022; Titchkosky, 2010).<\/li>\r\n \t
- Strong safeguards are needed:<\/strong> The events demonstrate that strong laws prohibiting euthanasia are crucial for safeguarding the lives of vulnerable groups. Evidence indicates that healthcare providers have great difficulty witnessing a person they perceive to be suffering. The person themself may not feel as if they are suffering\u2014or they may feel as if they can easily handle their pain and discomfort. Yet, health providers may do anything, including ending a life, to end that perceived suffering. For Janz (2021), this response on the part of healthcare providers is a form of eugenic ableism. Pain and suffering\u2014wrapped up with disability in this instance\u2014must be eliminated.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
\r\nMultimedia Moment<\/h3>\r\nTime: 28 minutes, 52 seconds<\/strong>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n\r\n\r\nEngage with this video that discusses disability and emergency preparedness in the Canadian context.\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/youtu.be\/ozrff0CnU-w?si=j21Qd1w6m1xk3JlB[\/embed]\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/ozrff0CnU-w?si=j21Qd1w6m1xk3JlB<\/a>\r\n\r\n[h5p id=\"84\"]<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nMultimedia Moment<\/h3>\r\nTime: 5 minutes, 52 seconds<\/strong>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n\r\n\r\nTake a few minutes to engage with the following CDC video on emergency preparedness for disabled people.\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/youtu.be\/wFoDUD4gRFE?si=96fF38Y4V9SfMFuO[\/embed]\r\n\r\n\u200b\r\n\r\n[h5p id=\"50\"]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nReflection Moment<\/h3>\r\n<\/header>\r\n\r\n\r\n \t- Lack of accessibility contributes to disabled peoples\u2019 vulnerabilities in emergencies. Take note of the access features built into the emergency preparedness video, produced by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Jot them down in the space provided below.<\/li>\r\n \t
- Check out coverage of the Palisades and Altadena fires in Los Angeles, January 2025. Note accounts of those who passed away in their homes<\/a>, and how many were older and disabled people. What does this tell us about the lessons learned throughout recent climate-related and other emergencies?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n[h5p id=\"47\"]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"
![\"Aerial](\"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/accessiblehealthcare\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/422\/2025\/01\/Katrina-new-orleans-flooding3-2005-1024x768.jpg\")
Aerial view of flooding in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Public domain image courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nOn August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast of Louisiana. In the ensuing hours, the city of New Orleans experienced power outages, affecting all hospitals in the area. City and state officials assured the public that everyone would be moved safely out of the facilities. However, it quickly became evident that adequate emergency preparedness was not in place, and there were no spaces immediately available for the city\u2019s most vulnerable residents. By early September, conditions in some hospitals were unbearable: temperatures hovered around 110\u00b0F, clean running water was unavailable, and staffing was skeletal. Later in September, 250 bodies would be recovered from New Orleans hospitals, with the most coming from Memorial Medical Center, where 45 bodies were found. Only five of those deceased were assumed to have died before the hurricane.<\/p>\n
Memorial Medical Center was severely impacted by Katrina, losing electrical power and experiencing flood damage as the levees broke. Hospital staff quickly developed a \u201c1, 2, 3\u201d protocol to manage the evacuation of the facility\u2019s 2002 patients, as well as staff and family members.<\/p>\n
\u201c1, 2, 3\u201d referred to a
- \r\n \t
- Planning for safety matters:<\/strong> It is important to have a clear plan for patient and staff safety in the face of major emergencies. Check out the Ontario provincial government's webpage on Emergency preparedness<\/a> and the specific Emergency preparedness guide for people with disabilities<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n \t
- Bias shapes decisions:<\/strong> When we do not have a plan, our actions may be guided by dominant understandings of the way the world works. Unfortunately, this means our decisions around supporting vulnerable patients may be shaped by racism, classism, and\/or ableism. Consider Heidi Janz\u2019s discussion of the COVID-19 triage protocols in many Canadian provinces and internationally. Although fifteen years after the lessons of Katrina, disabled, chronically ill, and fat patients were relegated to the lowest priority for ventilators and other life-saving interventions during the early days of the pandemic. Similarly, residents of long-term care and nursing homes were effectively abandoned as staff feared for their own safety. Janz suggests that the failure to account for the safety of disabled people, to benignly neglect their needs, and to actively deny life-saving intervention, belies a eugenic ableism. Eugenic ableism holds that disability is excludable, undesirable, and must disappear to make the world a better place (Janz, 2023; Janz, 2022; Titchkosky, 2010).<\/li>\r\n \t
- Strong safeguards are needed:<\/strong> The events demonstrate that strong laws prohibiting euthanasia are crucial for safeguarding the lives of vulnerable groups. Evidence indicates that healthcare providers have great difficulty witnessing a person they perceive to be suffering. The person themself may not feel as if they are suffering\u2014or they may feel as if they can easily handle their pain and discomfort. Yet, health providers may do anything, including ending a life, to end that perceived suffering. For Janz (2021), this response on the part of healthcare providers is a form of eugenic ableism. Pain and suffering\u2014wrapped up with disability in this instance\u2014must be eliminated.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
\r\n Multimedia Moment<\/h3>\r\nTime: 28 minutes, 52 seconds<\/strong>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n
\r\n\r\nEngage with this video that discusses disability and emergency preparedness in the Canadian context.\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/youtu.be\/ozrff0CnU-w?si=j21Qd1w6m1xk3JlB[\/embed]\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/ozrff0CnU-w?si=j21Qd1w6m1xk3JlB<\/a>\r\n\r\n[h5p id=\"84\"]<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n Multimedia Moment<\/h3>\r\nTime: 5 minutes, 52 seconds<\/strong>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n
\r\n\r\nTake a few minutes to engage with the following CDC video on emergency preparedness for disabled people.\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/youtu.be\/wFoDUD4gRFE?si=96fF38Y4V9SfMFuO[\/embed]\r\n\r\n\u200b\r\n\r\n[h5p id=\"50\"]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n Reflection Moment<\/h3>\r\n<\/header>\r\n
\r\n- \r\n \t
- Lack of accessibility contributes to disabled peoples\u2019 vulnerabilities in emergencies. Take note of the access features built into the emergency preparedness video, produced by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Jot them down in the space provided below.<\/li>\r\n \t
- Check out coverage of the Palisades and Altadena fires in Los Angeles, January 2025. Note accounts of those who passed away in their homes<\/a>, and how many were older and disabled people. What does this tell us about the lessons learned throughout recent climate-related and other emergencies?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n[h5p id=\"47\"]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"
Aerial view of flooding in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Public domain image courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast of Louisiana. In the ensuing hours, the city of New Orleans experienced power outages, affecting all hospitals in the area. City and state officials assured the public that everyone would be moved safely out of the facilities. However, it quickly became evident that adequate emergency preparedness was not in place, and there were no spaces immediately available for the city\u2019s most vulnerable residents. By early September, conditions in some hospitals were unbearable: temperatures hovered around 110\u00b0F, clean running water was unavailable, and staffing was skeletal. Later in September, 250 bodies would be recovered from New Orleans hospitals, with the most coming from Memorial Medical Center, where 45 bodies were found. Only five of those deceased were assumed to have died before the hurricane.<\/p>\n
Memorial Medical Center was severely impacted by Katrina, losing electrical power and experiencing flood damage as the levees broke. Hospital staff quickly developed a \u201c1, 2, 3\u201d protocol to manage the evacuation of the facility\u2019s 2002 patients, as well as staff and family members.<\/p>\n
\u201c1, 2, 3\u201d referred to a
- Bias shapes decisions:<\/strong> When we do not have a plan, our actions may be guided by dominant understandings of the way the world works. Unfortunately, this means our decisions around supporting vulnerable patients may be shaped by racism, classism, and\/or ableism. Consider Heidi Janz\u2019s discussion of the COVID-19 triage protocols in many Canadian provinces and internationally. Although fifteen years after the lessons of Katrina, disabled, chronically ill, and fat patients were relegated to the lowest priority for ventilators and other life-saving interventions during the early days of the pandemic. Similarly, residents of long-term care and nursing homes were effectively abandoned as staff feared for their own safety. Janz suggests that the failure to account for the safety of disabled people, to benignly neglect their needs, and to actively deny life-saving intervention, belies a eugenic ableism. Eugenic ableism holds that disability is excludable, undesirable, and must disappear to make the world a better place (Janz, 2023; Janz, 2022; Titchkosky, 2010).<\/li>\r\n \t