Volunteer Nurses Needed for Hurricane Emergency!

Nurses General Nursing

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Volunteer Nurses Needed for Hurricane Emergency!

We hope that you and your family have weathered the hurricane safely! Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.

Many have not been as lucky as we have. The LA-OEP (Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness) is requesting healthcare volunteers. This includes ALL levels of nursing expertise. If you and your family are safe, please volunteer - there is a tremendous need for nurses. Call 225-389-2100 and ask for "Medical". They are expecting your call. If the line is busy, please keep calling.

Please pass this on to anyone you think may be of help. Thank you!

LSNA

Hi All,

This is my first post, and I found this site while searching for a way to go and help the victims of Katrina. I'm licensed as an RN in Arkansas and Missouri, and I believe an Arkansas license is reciprocal with both Mississippi and Louisianna. Can anyone confirm this? My specialty is ICU, specifically CICU.

Specializes in ICU, ER, HH, NICU, now FNP.

Reciprocal licensing isn't so important - as someone stated earlier, nearly all states have clauses in their state acts which allow for emergency situations.

One poster provided a website for Florida volunteers, but Texas will also take your info - that web site was having problems this morning. Try it again though.

http://www.texasnurses.org.

Reciprocal licensing isn't so important - as someone stated earlier, nearly all states have clauses in their state acts which allow for emergency situations.

One poster provided a website for Florida volunteers, but Texas will also take your info - that web site was having problems this morning. Try it again though.

http://www.texasnurses.org.

The Texas site is still having problems. The submit button on the form is not working. I e-mailed my info to the TNA. Keep trying.

We have almost 6000 homeless at the cajundome in Lafayette. I am just arriving home from there. The buses arrived in droves to drop people off during the night. They are arriving in the clothes they had on when the hurricane hit. They have been swimming in the dirty water, are soiled with urine and feces, and sunburned. Most had not eaten or drank in several days, much less taken there meds. (think: no psych drugs in addition to your normal diabetic and CV meds). They were picked up on I-10.

The buses that arrived at the cajundome last night had very sick people on it. They were dropped at the door. We had no Nurse Practitioner or MD to triage. The red cross is there but is only a band-aid station I am told. CIS had set up a clinic yesterday but it was closed when the buses started arriving during the night. Some refugees were unable to walk off the bus. I was on the phone with a doctor who was helping me to triage. I want to thank Dr. XXX for talking to me on the phone during those rough hours. Also thanks to Dr. XXX for responding to a panicked call from me to please come help (thanks to a UMC nurse who put me in touch with these physicians). Dr. XXX also arrived, more red cross staff (who apparently had been sleeping, I had no idea they where they were there, communication is strained due to this rapid influx of refugees.) The police and paramedics quickly responded once alerted to our situation. We knew there was a list of volunteers somewhere, but we couldn't find it. One lady was in active labor. One was having seizures. At least three had not had dialysis in a week, wheezing and SOB. Many had recently had surgery and had fresh surgical wounds, who had been in the water. We had one with 5 gunshot wounds (recieved before the hurricane), the sites were grossly infected, but he was stable. Many needed the restroom but couldn't walk to the bathroom. We did not have enough wheelchairs or assistance to get them to a restroom. You can imagine the outcome. We sent busloads of acute ill (not enough ambulances) refugees to local ERs. I believe some were also sent to another local shelter. We did not have blankets, pillows, or enough showers and clothes to help all these people.

God bless everyone affected by this tragedy and for the all the help that responded once they were alerted to our situation! I am praying that communication will improve among the many many volunteers who are there to help. Our Red Cross has been wonderful, but I am afraid they are understandaby overwhelmed with the situation.

I know there are many other shelters around Louisiana who are probably facing similar situations. We will get through this!!

Glascow,

I SALUTE YOU! YOU ARE A TRUE AMERICAN HERO!

Please be safe.

Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Yes, glascow.........You are to be commended. I admire you tremendously. :balloons:

Specializes in ER, Surgery, Community, Geriatrics.
What about those licensed outside of the U.S.? I'm Canadian, and have a week's vacation coming up, after Labour Day.

I am also a Canadian nurse interested in helping if I can - if anyone knows of a group of Canadian nurses going down to help please let me know.

Glascow...I cannot imagine what you are dealing with down there - you are in our thoughts and prayers :crying2:

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:crying2:

Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.
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Wow, this is hearbreaking :crying2:

Glasgow -

YOU ROCK!! There's no other way of putting that. Thank you for helping.

I will be praying for you and all of those affected and helping with the disaster

I wish I could go and help....I'll donate to the Red Cross/Sally Ann here in Canada

There is a medical volunteer registry specifically for Katrina located at:

http://disasterhelp.net/medical/

Hope this helps!

Avis :)

Specializes in surgical, neuro, education.

(((((((((((((Glasgow))))))))))))), my thoughts and prayers are with you and everyone who has been in this disaster.

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