Katrina Response
On December 7, 2005, nearly 50 physicians gathered at SDCMS to listen to the experiences of four of their San Diego County colleagues who had responded to the Katrina and Rita disasters: Dr. Jake Jacoby, Dr. Brent Eastman, Dr. Asha Devereaux, and Dr. Nicole Chauche.
Dr. Jake Jacoby, commander of the San Diego-based Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) CA4, opened with a briefing of the natural events that led to the disaster and of his team’s journey to the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to aid in the emergency triage. He focused on the patient care that his team provided and on the triage system that they put into place.
Dr. Brent Eastman, Scripps Healthcare chief medical officer, followed by looking at the deployment of his team to care for evacuees in Houston. Dr. Eastman presented images from the Houston Astrodome and George R. Brown Convention Center and discussed the setup of both as shelters. He questioned if San Diego could be an adequate “life boat” for Los Angeles and Tijuana if a disaster hit those regions, emphasizing the importance of integrating trauma systems into disaster preparedness planning.
Next, Dr. Asha Devereaux discussed her deployment with the Medical Reserve Corps to a Health and Human Services Special Needs Shelter in Alexandria, Louisiana. Dr. Devereaux highlighted the provisions necessary for special needs shelters and how physicians must work together as well as with civilian partners to establish ready facilities. She detailed the medical care that was required and the support needed to maintain such a facility for a long period of time.
Dr. Nicole Chauche, the final speaker, concluded by demonstrating the Medical Reserve Corps’ support of the local Red Cross at a Red Cross shelter for evacuees and at the Family Assistance Center. She focused on the type of care that was needed for the evacuees that had come to San Diego and on the importance of physician and other healthcare provider volunteers with these types of events.
SDCMS plans to repeat the Katrina Disaster Response Seminar this spring. Watch your SDCMS faxes, e-newsletters, and these pages for further details.