Lessons Learned From Hurricane Maria: Pharmacists’ Perspective

Abstract

The destruction in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria brought an increased demand for health care services while severely limiting the health care system’s ability to provide patient care. Immediately following the hurricane, countless patients found themselves in a situation without their medications for both acute and chronic conditions. Many of these patients turned first to community pharmacies for access to their medications. In this letter, we describe the response of pharmacists to the needs of their communities following the natural disaster, Hurricane Maria, and summarize some lessons learned from the experience that may be useful in future disaster planning.