Survey of hospitals and healthcare facilities in the state of Texas for the medical and environmental response readiness to an act of bioterrorism

A survey of hospitals and healthcare facilities in the State of Texas was carried out between May l, 2002, and August 1, 2002, to evaluate our medical and environmental response readiness to an act of bioterrorism approximately nine months after the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. Five hundred and thirty-two healthcare facilities in the State of Texas received the survey which resulted in 265 responses being submitted to the primary investigator. The stated purpose of the survey included gathering information from the healthcare facilities necessary to prepare a medical and environmental readiness report in response to an act of bioterrorism. By comparing the data from the hospitals and healthcare facilities in both rural and urban counties in the 22 trauma services areas (TSAs) of Texas, a document directing a statewide response in case of an attack would be available to include both urban and rural population areas. While these data are somewhat dated, they come from one of a very few surveys of hospitals and healthcare facilities that will be on the front line in the event of the "unthinkable" bioterrorism attack on the homeland. This would assist both local and state governmental agencies to prepare resources and coordinate response efforts in the event of a radiation, biological or chemical attack in the State of Texas. In the event of a bioterrorism attack or mass casualty event, there needs to be standardized but flexible national resources for staffing, training, hospital design and facility operations which would be developed and widely disseminated.