GBPSR Response to Hurricane Katrina

Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility extends our sympathy and condolences to the victims of Hurricane Katrina throughout the gulf coast of the United States.

The public health fallout of one of the worst domestic natural disasters for a century is likely to worsen with each passing day, unless we all act soon. It also underscores the need for attention to critical domestic priorities in public health, the environment, and health care that PSR has been advocating.

We urge our members and supporters to contribute generously to the relief effort underway. Many families nationwide are opening their homes to storm refugees and contributing funds to relief organizations.

At the same time, we will continue to work for policies that are intended to prevent public health and environmental health crises.

For information on children's health, go to: Childrens Health: Hurricane and Flood Disasters.

Leaders of GBPSR's sister chapter in New Orleans need resources to continue their work. For more information on how you can help directly, contact Johanna Congleton.

For more information on how you can help, please visit the American Public Health Association website (www.apha.org) for a comprehensive listing of charity organizations, volunteer opportunities and APHA resources on public health management of disasters.

For more information on how health professionals can help in the relief efforts, please see the information below from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

Volunteer Opportunities

At this time, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is NO longer accepting Katrina-related individual medical and relief worker applications. More than 33,000 health care professionals and relief personnel have registered with the HHS for possible deployment in affected areas.

For other volunteer opportunities, visit the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Web page.

In addition, several states affected by the disaster have set up ways for physicians to volunteer:

Alabama: Visit the state of Alabama's Web site to sign up to volunteer.

Florida: The Florida Dept. of Health has set up a Web site for potential health care volunteers.

Louisiana: The Dept. of Health and Hospitals has a Web site with volunteering information, as does the Louisiana State Medical Society. Physicians also may call any of the following numbers: (225) 219-0821, (225) 578-0377 or (225) 765-8871 to volunteer. Physicians also may volunteer via this Web site or by calling (225) 763-5766 or (225) 763-5740.

Mississippi: The state of Mississippi has information for physicians willing to volunteer there on its Web site. Physicians interested in volunteering should e-mail or fax their name, contact information, specialty, state where they are licensed and license numbers to reliefefforts@msbml.state.ms.us or (601) 987-4159 or (601) 987-6822.

Tennessee: The state Department of Health has set up a Web site with a fax back form for Tennessee health care professionals who want to volunteer. Visit this site to fill out the form (PDF, 7KB; requires Adobe® Reader®).

Texas: The Texas Medical Association has information for Texas physicians interested in volunteering on its Web site.

The Texas Department of State Health Services is asking doctors, nurses, and other health care workers licensed or certified in Texas to volunteer to assist in treating evacuees of Hurricane Rita. Individuals with internet access can volunteer online.