Flooding from Harvey prompts HHS to declare public health emergency

Editor's Note

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price, MD, has declared a public health emergency because of flooding and lingering rain in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the August 28 Healthcare Finance News reports.

This declaration gives healthcare providers in Texas and Louisianian greater flexibility in treating people displaced by the flooding who may not have proof of Medicare status.

HHS has moved two 250-bed Federal Medical Stations to Seguin, Texas, and another two are in place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and ready to be deployed. Additional Federal Medical Stations are available in Dallas.

Texas National Guardsmen assist residents affected by flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey onto a military vehicle in Houston on Aug. 27. Army National Guard photo by Lt. Zachary West. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service has declared a public health emergency in the wake of Hurricane Harvey's devastation in Texas.