International Medical Corps breaks new ground after Katrina

This article appeared in the October 10, 2005 edition of Monday Developments.

By Judy Tyler

International Medical Corps had never responded to a domestic crisis in its 21-year history when Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S. Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, but chief executive Nancy Aossey knew almost instantly that would change when she saw the images of devastation on her television.

Aossey said the situation looked very much like what her agency confronted during relief operations after the South Asian tsunami, only this time it was Americans who suddenly found themselves without shelter, food or healthcare. After consulting with her senior staff, Aossey concluded that IMC could help and would.

“The aftermath of Katrina is the type of situation we are very familiar with,” Aossey said.

“Over the years, we have become very experienced in working with the public health problems that arise from a disaster of this magnitude: water-borne diseases, respiratory infection, tetanus, cholera, typhoid, yellow fever, West Nile Virus and malaria.

“That is why IMC is in the Gulf: because we could help and we wanted to help.”

Within days of Katrina’s devastating strike, IMC dispatched a disaster response team to Baton Rouge to assess conditions and to identify critical gaps in medical care for hurricane survivors.

PHOTO:  Michael Gall/ IMC Dr. Nick Weider surveys damage in the Garden District of New Orleans.

The experience and value IMC brings to relief activities was quickly recognized by domestic aid agencies, many of which established formal partnerships to bring relief and training to the Gulf Coast. Some of these collaborations include:

• Primary health care physicians, nurses, and mental health experts provided to the St. Charles Community Health Center in Luling, Louisiana, serving more than 20,000 evacuees;
• In Mississippi, mental health training provided for the Harrison County School District’s K-12 psychosocial caregivers;
• Technical expertise on disaster relief efforts provided in conjunction with the Payson Center for Technology Transfer and International Development at Tulane University’s School of Public Health. Aossey said, “It is gratifying that an industry leader like Tulane’s School of Public Health recognizes the applicability of IMC’s expertise to this disaster, as we recognize their leadership in public health. This collaboration will be ideal for the relief and recovery effort.”
• Comprehensive programs to restore public health infrastructure developed in cooperation with Medical Planning Resources, Inc.—a firm specializing in managing public health issues associated with complex emergencies;
• Shelter assessments conducted with the U.S. Public Health Service and the American Red Cross.

IMC’s disaster response team members have found the personal interactions with survivors to be among their most moving and profound experiences. Dr. Nick Weider, an IMC volunteer physician, quoted another volunteer—a Benedictine monk—to explain the significance of just being able to lend an ear. “You know, they are healthy, they are not hungry,” remarked the monk, “but they just want me to listen to them, to tell their story and some, even those who don’t know how, ask me to pray with them. They will be fine I’m sure but they want to share the suffering that has happened to them and find some meaning in it.”