Aiding the Victims of Katrina

A number of outsider groups are aiding disaster victims in New Orleans (LA, USA), following the widespread devastation caused by the hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005.

One of these is an organization called Global Rapid Response (San Francisco, CA, USA), which formed a crisis response team to assess the state of security and safety at client locations in New Orleans. Security teams and damage-assessment teams were activated to travel to New Orleans and protect client personnel and to help secure assets. The teams were able to deliver 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel into the city within two hours of notification. Within four hours, the team began the delivery of more than 16,000 meals. Global Rapid Response is a service offered by the Steele Foundation, a multinational firm providing a range of risk-management services, with offices in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America.

Another agency, ECRI (Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA), has launched a web-based clearing house providing a central resource that healthcare facilities in New Orleans can turn to for information on medical devices, supplies, and services being offered by manufacturers worldwide. ECRI is encouraging medical device companies to submit information on dialysis products, infusion pumps, portable ventilators, patient warmers, mobile hospitals and outdoor shelters, medical device batteries, and clinical engineering repair services.

The information submitted should include details about donation, rental, or loaner programs, instructions on how affected facilities can receive expedited service, addresses and telephone numbers or websites of donors, cleaning and repair instructions for water-damaged products, requirements for devices operated from backup generators, and any other information that may help the relief effort. Responses can be sent by e-mail to katrinarelief@ecri.org.

ECRI is a nonprofit health services research agency. The company has asked more than 8,000 companies to submit information on products and services. The company noted that the response has been strong. "Device companies and other organizations have quickly responded with information and offers of assistance.”

A third organization, the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC; Washington, DC, USA), has created a website to help coordinate laboratory-related relief efforts for the victims of Katrina in New Orleans. On this site, there is a Katrina Lab Relief Bulletin Board where two key laboratory groups will be able to communicate: labs that need help and labs/lab professionals offering help. The website will enable them to exchange resource and needs information and assist each other.






Related Links:
Steele Foundation
ECRI
AACC