Publications by authors named "Michael Primeau"
Background: Large-scale power outages (PO) are increasing in the context of climate change. Although some research has been conducted into the adverse health impacts of POs, significant gaps remain regarding whether POs would affect the health of pregnant women. We investigated the association between ED visits due to pregnancy complications and the occurence, intensity, and duration of large-scale POs in eight Sandy-affected counties in New York State (NYS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: While most prior research has focused on extreme heat, few assessed the immediate health effects of winter storms and associated power outages (PO), although severe storms have become more frequent. This study evaluates the joint and independent health effects of winter storms and PO, snow versus ice-storm, effects by time window (peak timing, winter/transitional months) and the impacts on critical care indicators including numbers of comorbidity, procedure, length of stay and cost.
Methods: We use distributed lag nonlinear models to assess the impacts of winter storm/PO on hospitalizations due to cardiovascular, lower respiratory diseases (LRD), respiratory infections, food/water-borne diseases (FWBD) and injuries in New York State on 0-6 lag days following storm/PO compared with non-storm/non-PO periods (references), while controlling for time-varying factors and PM.
After the Storm: Short-term and Long-term Health Effects Following Superstorm Sandy among the Elderly.
Disaster Med Public Health Prep
February 2019
Objective: Investigate short- and long-term effects of Superstorm Sandy on multiple morbidities among the elderly.
Methods: We examined emergency department visits; outpatient visits; and hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease (CVD), respiratory disease, and injury among residents residing in 8 affected counties immediately, 4 months, and 12 months following Superstorm Sandy. Control groups were defined as visits/admissions during the identical time window in the 5 years before (2007-2011) and 1 year after (2013-2014) the storm in affected and nonaffected counties in New York.
Article Synopsis
- - Local agencies in New York State have established cooling centers to help people, particularly those without air-conditioning, cope with summer heat, with 377 centers identified mainly in metropolitan areas.
- - A survey revealed that 47% of counties listed cooling center locations online, but only 29% shared this information through the survey; radio and internet were the primary methods for spreading information.
- - About 38% of counties either don’t see cooling centers as important or fail to promote them, with more than a third lacking any cooling centers or plans, as they don’t view extreme heat as a significant threat.