Sixteen student nurses from Clayton State University responded immediately to a call for help, gathering together Tuesday to begin an 11-day journey of a lifetime. They loaded three vans and two cars with supplies and swept off to join thousands of others in assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina along the gulf coastal region.
Under the direction of New Orleans original Sue Odom, Ph.D.. and acting department chair of Nursing at Clayton State, the students traveled in high spirits down interstate 20 with two registered nurses from Northside Hospital and four Clayton State faculty members, later splitting into two groups, one headed to Jackson, Miss., the other to Hattiesburg, Miss.
"It's amazing, the camaraderie and the spirit," Odom said, commenting on the morale of the makeshift convoy to Mississippi. Until Sept. 17, the band of nurses will live and work at or near special needs shelters, providing pivotal care to those in need of special care.
The relief effort was made possible by Lisa Eichelberger, Dean of Health Sciences at Clayton State University. She said she was unable to get a response from other agencies working the disaster.
"After the disaster in Mississippi and Louisiana, I called to the Mississippi Board of Nurses to offer them help with our nursing," Eichelberger said. "I don't think we've experienced a disaster of this magnitude. Things in Hattiesburg are not well."
Full Story:
Student nurses lend more than supportive thoughts [News-Daily.com,GA]
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