Beyond Katrina

Katrina patient deaths case not over, AG says

Attorney General Buddy Caldwell hinted Monday the murder investigation into patient deaths after Hurricane Katrina may not be over. Continue>>>

Call for Speakers/Ideas: Katrina Event in Houston, Texas

I am working on a Katrina/Rita related program or event for a Foreign Media Tour of Houston, Texas ---March 5-7. The theme is how Americans view health care, the economy, and immigration in an election year. Since Houston is a  major gulf coast city that has also been impacted by the hurricanes of 2005,  there may be room in the schedule for a Katrina/Rita related program.  If you are a Katrina survivor who has relocated to Houston, or an individual or group working on behalf of Hurricane Katrina recovery issues,  I would like to speak with  you regarding  ideas  for this event. This is a great  opportunity to support the cause - i.e. to brief the foreign media  and help them better understand  issues and challenges related to ongoing gulf coast hurricane issues as well as recovery and rebuilding efforts post-Katrina.  If you have an interesting idea or contribution to make towards this endeavor,  please contact me at beyondkatrina@gmail.com.

Margaret Saizan
Beyond Katrina: The Voice of Hurricane & Disaster Recovery
www.hurricane-katrina.org.

help foreign political reporters better understand the role of local and state governments, parties, and lobbying organizations in U.S. elections.  To deepen the reporters’ understanding of the 2008 contest, the tour will also focus on key issues that both parties and all candidates are debating:  the economy, immigration, and health care. 

Hurricanes Katrina, Rita Left Skin Rashes in Their Wake

ATLANTA, Nov. 19 -- People living and working in flood-ravaged areas such as the Gulf coast after Hurricane Katrina may face a heightened risk of developing a skin rash from insect bites, researchers said. Continue.

An Overlooked Threat

My name is Richard Ferring and I volunteer for an organization called the Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center.   We are a non-profit organization specializing in spreading awareness about mesothelioma and other asbestos-related ailments.  As somewhat of an expert in the area, I would like to share some information surrounding the dangers of asbestos exposure as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Katrina made landfall in late August of 2005 leaving destruction and loss of life in its wake.  Federal disaster declarations covered more than 90,000 square miles.  In addition to the municipal buildings, bridges, and other properties that were damaged, over 130,000 homes were completely destroyed.  Petroleum products, raw sewage, and industrial waste were introduced into   the environment at dangerous levels.  One of the most overlooked dangers, however, was the release of asbestos particles into the air and water.

Asbestos, as many of you may know, is a naturally occurring mineral that is mined throughout the world.  Until about 40 years ago, it was used abundantly as an insulator because of its heat-resistant properties. Asbestos  was used in everything from car brakes to the strengthening fibers in construction materials.  Although its uses have since been limited, asbestos products can still be found in many older buildings and structures.  Asbestos is not dangerous when it is intact and undisturbed.  As long as it is encased in a stable environment without wear or tear, asbestos can function as a healthy material.  Unfortunately asbestos is a friable mineral.  This means that it is easily broke into small fragments or reduced to  powder when it is disturbed.  As a result of the destruction of Katrina, literally tons of asbestos we released into the air and water.  The survivors, rescue workers, clean-up teams, and anyone else in  the area may have been exposed to the deadly carcinogen. 

When asbestos is inhaled it travels through the airway into the chest.  These fibers attack what is known as the mesothelium, or a two-layered membrane that covers the internal organs like the heart, lungs, and abdominal organs.  The mesothelium is divided into three sections called the pleura, pericardium, and the peritoneum which cover the lungs, heart, and abdomen respectively.  It is in these areas that the deadly cancer mesothelioma can  occur.

There is a possibility that hundreds or even thousands of asbestos related illnesses may occur as a result of the toxic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  If you begin to feel symptoms of mesothelioma or a respiratory illness, it is important that you mention that you may have been exposed to asbestos.  Although mesothelioma can take more than 20 years to develop, it is important that you recognize it as early as possible - you will have a much greater prognosis.  If you have any further questions or comments, please feel free to email me at rferring@maacenter.org.  I would be more than happy to answer any and all questions you may have.

No Case Against Nurses in Katrina Deaths

I am happy to hear that the D.A.  has dropped the case against nurses Lori Budo and Cheri Landry, and  Dr. Anna Pou, who were arrested last summer and booked on second-degree murder charges. "State Attorney General Charles Foti claimed they killed four people with a 'lethal cocktail' at Memorial Medical Center during the chaotic conditions after the August 2005 storm. Lawyers for the three said they acted heroically, staying to treat patients rather than evacuating. No charges have been filed". See article here.

Feds want plans for downtown hospital scaled back

From the Times-Picayune:

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration made it clear Thursday that it has serious problems with Louisiana's plan for a 484-bed teaching and research hospital in downtown New Orleans, sending Gov. Kathleen Blanco and state lawmakers scrambling to defend the project they hope will help revitalize the hurricane-worn city.

New Orleans Deaths Up 47%

An article at Red Orbit today examines the decline in health care in NOLA as a key factor  impacting the  47% rise in the death rate, post-Katrina.

Immunity for nurses leads to speculation on DA's course

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The district attorney's decision to compel two nurses to testify before a grand jury about deaths at a New Orleans hospital after Hurricane Katrina could indicate the investigation is about to wrap up, legal observers said Wednesday. More at nola.com.

Sizable proportion of Gulf Coast physicians displaced following Hurricane Katrina

CHICAGO — About one fourth of the physicians who left the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina were still gone six months later, and some displaced physicians had no plans to return, according to a study in the inaugural issue of the AMA journal, Disaster Medicine and Public Health  Preparedness.

Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005.  The storm and subsequent flooding in Louisiana and Mississippi were blamed for at least 1,808 deaths and over $100 billion in damage.  More than 1.5 million people were evacuated.  By autumn 2005, nearly 6,000 physicians had been displaced from the Gulf region, including 4,486 from three New Orleans parishes.  Only three of nine hospitals in Orleans parish had reopened by February 2006, according to background information in the article.

Kusuma Madamala, PhD, MPH of the American Medical Association's Center for Public Health Preparedness and Disaster Response, and colleagues conducted a descriptive Internet-based survey during the spring of 2006 to investigate physician demographics and relocation patterns following Hurricane Katrina.  Survey participants were selected from an AMA master file of all licensed physicians reporting addresses within Federal Emergency Management Agency-designated disaster zones in Louisiana and Mississippi before August 2005.

A total of 312 eligible responses were collected, yielding a 32 percent response rate from the physicians who were contacted.  Among the disaster zone respondents, 85.6 percent lived in Louisiana and 14.4 percent lived in Mississippi before the hurricane.

"By spring 2006, 75.6 percent (236) of the respondents had returned to their original homes, whereas 24.4 percent (76) reported a different place of residence, the authors report.

"Nearly ten percent remained out of state, with the preponderance of this group indicating that they were either unlikely to or uncertain about returning their original practice, they continue.

At the time of the survey, 40.7 percent of physicians reported that the hospitals with which they were primarily associated were closed. Virtually all the physicians surveyed also reported some level of damage to their homes.

"As expected, physicians whose homes were significantly damaged or destroyed were far more likely to be displaced at the time of the survey, the authors write.  "Approximately 24 percent of those still relocated six months after the disaster reported complete destruction of their homes, and nearly 40 percent of this same group reported personal losses greater than $50,000.

One of the highest priorities  identified by the respondents was financial assistance to rebuild their  practices.

"Although the plans elicited from respondents are subject to change based on many factors as the Gulf Coast recovery progresses, programs to address identified physician needs in the aftermath of the storm may give confidence to displaced physicians to return.  Additional follow-up assessments may be useful in determining whether the identified patterns of physician relocation persist or change over time, the authors conclude.

Source: AMA, AMA journal, Disaster Medicine and Public Health  Preparedness

Blanco: Feds will pay $74 million for downtown hospital site

WASHINGTON -- Gov. Kathleen Blanco said Wednesday that the Bush administration is poised to release $74 million to buy land and design a new hospital in downtown New Orleans to replace the flagship Charity Hospital that has been shuttered since Hurricane Katrina. Continue at the TImes-Picayune.