NEW... ANA Comments on Nursing Care During Hurricane Katrina
ANA is very supportive of the nurses who stayed and cared for patients during and after Hurricane Katrina in September, 2005, as well as nurses who supported these efforts in other ways. Disasters place nurses in unfamiliar and unusual conditions within the health care environment that may necessitate adaptations to recognized standards of nursing practice. ANA is not in a position to comment on the specifics of any situation that occurred during Hurricane Katrina. More...
Mobilization Effort
Alabama
- Alabama Emergency Management Agency: http://disaster.ema.alabama.gov/
Florida
The Florida Department of Health has established a website for health care practitioners interested in volunteering to provide relief efforts in the gulf coast area. Contact www.disasterhelp.net/medical/ and share this information too with your out-of-state colleagues who can also register at this website.
The Florida Board of Nursing will also assist nurses who have been displaced to Florida from the affected areas in other states by issuing a 90-day temporary license. These nurses should contact 1-850-245-4125 or go online on the Board of Nursing website at: www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/nursing/index.html. In addition the Board has instituted the disaster temporary nursing permit for Florida facilities affected by the recent hurricanes directly or by those receiving patients from affected areas.
Louisiana
Louisiana State Nurses Association Relief Fund
We (LSNA) have established a relief fund for our nurses who have been displaced due to Katrina. Many of our nurses have lost everything, and this fund was established to assist them. We are accepting cash, checks, gift certificates, etc. Checks should be made payable to Louisiana State Nurses Association Relief Fund and can be mailed to LSNA, 5800 One Perkins Place, Suite 2-B, Baton Rouge, LA 70808. To contribute and for additional information go to the Louisiana State Nurses Association website at: http://www.lsna.org/
For additional information go to the Louisiana State Nurses Association website at: http://www.lsna.org/
Louisiana State Board of Nursing
The Louisiana State Board of Nursing has moved to their new office in Baton Rouge. Their new address is 5713 Superior Drive, Suite A-6, Baton Rouge, LA 70816. The telephone number is 225-763-3570 or -3577 and the fax number is 225-763-3580. Their email is lsbn@lsbn.state.la.us. We were happy to have them share our (LSNA) space, and we greatly admire their efforts to provide their services during this difficult time.
Mississippi
The Mississippi Nurses Association has begun a relief fund to assist nurses who have suffered severe losses as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Mail donations to The Mississippi Nurses Foundation, 31 Woodgreen Place, Madison, MS 39110. Also on their website at: http://www.msnurses.org/hurricane_relief.asp.
The Mississippi Board of Nursing is coordinating efforts to create teams of relief nurses to assist in the devastated areas of the state. To volunteer as a relief nurse, please contact the Mississippi Board of Nursing at (601) 944-4840 or 4849. You will receive instructions on how to volunteer.
For additional information go to the Mississippi Nurses Association website: http://www.msnurses.org/
Texas
Texas Nurses Association Website:
http://texasnurses.org/index.htm
AACN (American Association of Colleges of Nursing)
AACN is deeply saddened by the impact Hurricane Katrina has had on all those living in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast. More than 3,000 nursing students and faculty have been displaced as a result of this tragedy and are in need of assistance to continue their studies.
A list of Schools of Nursing is available on the AACN website (http://www.aacn.nche.edu/HurricaneRelief.htm) to accommodate students and/or faculty in baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs from impacted schools. This list will be continually updated as new information is received.
CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Hurricane Katrina Health Information: www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/katrina.asp
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has posted guidelines on wound management for healthcare professionals dealing with Hurricane Katrina response on its web site.
Download entire document at: www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/pdf/emergwoundhcp.pdf.
Link to the CDC's emergency and disaster preparedness site: www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/
Department of Health & Human Services (HHS)
HHS - KATRINA RECOVERY EFFORT
Thank you for your help and support. HHS has asked us to inform the public that they are not recruiting for new volunteers at this time.
Information regarding hurricanes and the public health response: www.hhs.gov/emergency/hurricane.html
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS):
Fact Sheet: CMS Actions to Help Beneficiaties, Providers in Katrina Stricken Areas
Additional: Katrina Information
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is committed to helping the many thousands of people who have been devastated by the effects of Hurricane Katrina. NCI is reaching out to numerous audiences to provide cancer-related information that can be shared accurately and effectively with those who have been affected by the hurricane.
NCI Offers Support for Those in Need After Hurricane Katrina: www.cancer.gov/newscenter/pressreleases/KatrinaNCIResponds
Resources for displaced cancer patients: www.cancer.gov/katrina -
National Library of Medicine (NLM)
The Specialized Information Services Division of the National Library of Medicine has compiled potentially useful information for emergency response teams who are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The information can be found at:
http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/hurricane.html.
OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration)
Keeping workers safe during clean up and recovery operations following hurricanes... www.osha.gov/OshDoc/hurricaneRecovery.html
Project HOPE
The American Nurses Association (ANA) had been assisting Project HOPE in their recruitment efforts to staff the U.S. Naval Ship Comfort. Please read the following message from Dr. Jim Peake, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Project HOPE. ANA also thanks all of you who sought to get involved and offer your time and expertise to this most worthwhile project.
SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
Hurricane Mental Health Awareness Campaign
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt launched a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to encourage people who may be experiencing psychological distress following the recent hurricanes to consider seeking mental health services. The PSAs, the result of a partnership between HHS' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Ad Council, will be distributed to 12,000 media outlets nationwide.
According to SAMHSA, past research on the mental health consequences of major floods and hurricanes suggests that the psychological impacts of the recent hurricanes could be extensive. SAMHSA estimates that -- in those areas that have been significantly impacted by the hurricanes -- 25 percent to 30 percent of the population may experience clinically significant mental health needs and an additional 10 percent to 20 percent may show sub-clinical, but not trivial, needs. Up to 500,000 people may be in need of assistance.
Hurricane Mental Health Awareness Campaign/PSA: http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/disasterrelief/psa.aspx
Press Release: http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/051207_hurricane.htm
SAMHSA Disaster Relief Information: http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/disasterrelief/
-------
Thanks to All Nurses Who Responded to the Katrina Response & Recovery Effort
ANA has recruited 100 psychiatric/mental health or gerontological RNs to work with SAMHSA in the Katrina Response and Recovery effort. ANA/ANCC thanks all of the 185 nurses who submitted on-line applications. We are no longer accepting applications at this time. Any additional information that ANA has about nursing resource needs will be posted. Please continue to monitor the website for up-to-date information.
SAMHSA's Katrina Response and Recovery effort
SAMHSA Katrina Assistance Teams (KATs) http://www.wcikatrinahelp.com/
Crisis Hotline Available for Victims of Hurricane Katrina... Toll-free hotline for people in crisis in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. By dialing 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255), callers will be connected to a network of local crisis centers across the country that are committed to crisis counseling. Callers to the hotline will receive counseling from trained staff at the closest certified crisis center in the network. Press Release...
Information and Resources for RNs
