Message from UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., and UNMC College of Medicine Dean John Gollan, M.D., Ph.D., on relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina.
We are all deeply moved by the devastation, loss of lives and the people affected by Hurricane Katrina. We have received many calls from faculty and staff asking what they can do to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. It is critical that our response be a coordinated one. At the request of President Bush, Elias Zerhouni, M.D. director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has been asked to coordinate the response effort for medically ill patients who will require evacuation from the devastated area. Dr. Zerhouni has contacted the deans of academic medical centers and has requested their assistance and support to identify their areas of expertise and ability to accept patients. These efforts are being coordinated by the Association of American Medical Colleges together with the NIH.
Because of our expertise, it is anticipated that selected, high acuity patients will be triaged to our medical center. This will, in turn, free up beds and health professionals to treat those hurricane victims who need immediate care. We have offered beds at our facility along with the specialized Biocontainment Unit for the transfer of patients.
Steve Smith, chief medical officer of The Nebraska Medical Center, will served as the point person for this effort. Dr. Smith will also be the contact person for our campus response to the request by the Secretary of HHS who has asked for medical and public health support to help staff field hospitals in the disaster area. HHS is planning to construct 40 temporary hospital facilities with 250 beds each outside of the immediate disaster area to stage patients for movement to more distant permanent facilities. Each hospital will need 100 volunteer clinical staff for two week rotations.
If you are interested in volunteering to go to one of the field hospitals, please send your contact information and qualifications to Steve Smith via e-mail.
Please note: Volunteers are specifically being asked not to come to the devastated area unless they are part of an organized team due to transportation and communication problems.
UNMC has also been asked to assist in the academic arena and identify the capacity of our colleges and schools to take additional health professions students and residents. We have responded to the AAMC and we have already accepted two medical students and eight pediatric residents to continue their training at the College of Medicine at UNMC. We are coordinating all of our educational efforts through the AAMC.
For those who want to contribute actual dollars to this effort, we are working closely with agencies whose job it is to be involved in disaster relief. Next Wednesday, September 7, for example, Red Cross representatives will be on campus sharing information on how employees can help in collecting funds.
There will also be a fundraising effort through the Nebraska Hospital Association to develop a fund that will go directly to the hospital employees affected by the hurricane. More information will be provided as it becomes available.
Working through reputable organizations such as these, we can be assured that 100 percent of the funds raised go directly to help the victims of this disaster.
I want to extend my thanks to all faculty and staff who, in their usual way, are reaching out to those in need. We will keep you updated as developments occur in all of these areas.