|
Date: |
|
To: All
Commissioned Corps Members |
|
From: United States
Surgeon General |
|
Subject: Hurricane Response |
|
|
|
|
|
Another ominous challenge
is upon us. Just as several of our Katrina missions started to wind down,
Mother Nature threw us a curve ball named Rita. At this writing, the hurricane
has reached Category 4 strength and she is barreling across the Gulf of
Mexico with expectations of making landfall near Galveston this weekend. |
|
|
|
|
|
A 30-officer SERT, led by
RADM Mary Pat Couig and CAPT Epi
Elizondo, have deployed to Austin, Texas. In addition, a 167-officer clinical team
will deploy to College Station, Texas, today or tomorrow morning in advance
of the storm. These clinical personnel will staff up to 500 beds at a Federal
Medical Station there. And 11 pharmacists will staff four NDMS mobilization
centers to package pharmaceutical caches. In the meantime, evacuations of
staff and residents are underway throughout parts of Louisiana and Texas.
Shelter evacuees in Houston, for example are being moved to Ft. Chafee,
Arkansas. And evacuees housed in hotels in low-lying areas are being
relocated in other parts of Houston. |
|
|
|
|
|
The Commissioned Corps
has done an absolutely phenomenal job and I think we're going to be tested again
- very shortly. But these moments in history are defining the future of the
U.S. Public Health Service. |
|
|
|
|
|
Yesterday, the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services set up a call center in Washington
D.C., to answer the backlog of calls to the DMORT Family Assistance Centers. |
|
|
|
|
|
We are seeing a greater
volunteer presence as the first round of deployment rotations gets
underway. More than 680 Medical
Reserve Corps |
|
(MRC) members have volunteered
for missions through a partnership with the American Red Cross. Another 500
MRC members volunteered their services through the Department of Health and
Human Services. |
|
|
|
|
|
Mental health
teleconferences and debriefings will continue Monday, Wednesday and Friday
for officers returning from deployments. In addition, OFRD has deployed 40
mental health care providers to Louisiana and the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration has a contract to hire up to 400 mental health
care providers over the next eight weeks. |
|
|
|
|
|
Many of you have worked
hard caring for the victims and evacuees of Hurricane Katrina. You have also
started to rebuild the health and medical infrastructure of several communities
along the Gulf Coast. I know it hasn't been easy and the thought of dealing
with another hurricane can be very discouraging. But I know I can count on
you to stand strong in the face of this adversity because our nation needs
your help - perhaps more now than ever before. |
|
|
|
|
|
Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S. |
|
VADM, USPHS |
|
|