UW emergency medical team responds to Hurricane Katrina
On August 29, Dr. Kathleen Jobe , director of the UW Medical Center emergency medicine department, arrived at the New Orleans airport for a two-week deployment with one of Washington State's disaster medical assistance teams (DMATs) to provide medical care to seriously ill Hurricane Katrina victims. Patients were brought in by helicopter, bus and ambulance. Jobe's team, along with other DMATs, swiftly treated, stabilized and evacuated over 2,700 patients in the first four days of the operation. Most were critically ill due to lack of regular medication or dialysis.
Dr. Kathleen Jobe, director of UW emergency medicine, sits with patients being transported from the helicopter landing area of the New Orleans airport to the terminal's upper level for triage and treatment by her DMAT (disaster medical assistant team) unit.
"Many of our patients were disabled, in chairs, or had other mobility problems," Jobe recalled. "My advice (to people with disabilities) would be to evacuate early if you have warning. Be sure you have an emergency kit which includes prescription medications, an outline of your medical history and a list of your medications. Also some food and water. Be prepared to be without help for up to 72 hours."
UWMC and HMC staff on the Washington State DMAT (disaster medical assistance) team deployed to New Orleans days during the post-Katrina flooding (left to right): Kathleen Jobe, MD, UWMC director of emergency medicine; Charlie Valencia HMC pharmacist; Wendy Palmer HMC Nurse, Chris Sanford UW Hall Health physician, Ellen McDonald, HMC nurse, and Jay Herzmark, RN, who is the UW safety officer.
"Military air evacuations cannot take wheelchairs, including nice custom ones," she added. "People were reluctant to leave without their chairs, but eventually had to, via stretcher." But since each chair has a unique number that links it to the owner, all the chairs were returned to their owners by commercial or cargo aircraft. "It's best to evacuate, even without your chair," she advised. "It will find you."