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Headlines Volunteers Urged to Register Now with the
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Offers came in from across the Commonwealth in September from people wanting to help respond to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. In addition to offers to send food, water and medicine, medically trained people and others volunteered their services to help with relief efforts in the impacted areas. Several members of the Virginia Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) were deployed to the region to support recovery efforts. MRC volunteers in the Gulf Coast region served as emergency medical technicians, physicians and nurses, and also provided interpretation, chiropractic, pharmacy and mental health services in shelters, clinics and churches. Other MRC volunteers supported relief efforts within Virginia, by answering phones for the American Red Cross and staffing clinics. One group of MRC volunteers organized a supply drive and transported the supplies to the hurricane ravaged region. Many more people volunteered to support the MRC, but they weren’t able to be used because they hadn’t completed the registration and training process before the disaster. All MRC volunteers must first receive training before handling the responsibilities associated with an MRC mission. Years ago, if you wanted to help in a free clinic, offer free medical consultations or first aid, or even volunteer with the local rescue squad, you simply showed up and pitched in. Not anymore. Today, if you know you will want to help when a disaster strikes locally or in another state, you should register now with an organization that assists with response and relief efforts. Nearly 600 MRC volunteers in Virginia had completed the process to prepare for deployment with the Red Cross by mid-September. These volunteers were registered with MRC units across the country prior to Katrina.
Danita Reese, a podiatrist with a private practice in South Hill, Va., called the volunteer office at the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) to register with the Southside MRC after Hurricane Katrina hit. As a licensed medical provider, she wanted to go to the Gulf Coast Region to respond to the medical needs there. Unfortunately, because Reese had not registered prior to the disaster, she was not immediately able to go. Reese eventually did have the opportunity to deploy to Mobile, Ala., through the Virginia Emergency Operations Center, to work in a medical setting with other Virginia MRC volunteers . However, she recommends registering with a group in advance and to wait to be deployed, if possible. “They needed manpower down there at shelters and everywhere, but without being registered with a group, many volunteers are being turned away,” Reese said. Volunteer agencies must assess the needs of the affected area, determine what personnel to send to meet those needs, and provide a safe departure, experience and return for their volunteers. Several factors affect whether an organization can use a volunteer’s services, and registered volunteers have several advantages over non-affiliated people who wish to help:
Virginia currently has 18 MRC units covering every region in the Commonwealth, and the number of units is growing. Virginia MRC volunteers are primarily focused on local community health needs, but they can assist statewide or even in other parts of the country. Along with assisting in the wake of this year’s devastating hurricanes, Virginia MRC volunteers provided hurricane relief last year in Florida and the Bahamas. MRC volunteers choose the level of commitment they prefer, whether they will work locally only or are available for work around the state or country, and they also decide the roles they prefer to fill. MRC welcomes both medical and non-medical volunteers, with a primary focus on local pharmaceutical dispensing, local health events and local emergency preparedness and response activities. To learn more and register with the Virginia MRC, visit www.vamrc.org.
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VDH Veterinary Epidemiologist Helps Mississippi Animals Affected by Hurricane Katrina
Jimeequa Williams On Aug. 29, one of the fiercest storms the U.S. has ever seen devastated areas across the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath prompted many agencies nationwide to respond and assist with the relief effort. Among the many Virginia Department of Health (VDH) employees who stepped up to help was veterinary epidemiologist Julia Murphy, D.V.M., M.S., DACVPM, with the Division of Zoonotic and Environmental Epidemiology. Dr. Murphy was deployed to Hattiesburg, Miss., on Aug. 31 as part of a unified response from the Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams (VMAT), a nationwide volunteer network of veterinary health professionals who can be mobilized to respond to the needs of animals during a disaster.
“Since becoming a VMAT volunteer, this was my first deployment in response to a disaster. This was a totally new experience for me,” said Dr. Murphy. “The loss and devastation brought about by Hurricane Katrina is hard to describe in words. I am glad I was able to help with the crisis,” Dr. Murphy said.
One of the primary goals of Dr. Murphy’s VMAT Team was to reach out to the dairy industry. She accompanied U.S. Department of Agriculture representatives to the various counties along the dairy belt of Mississippi to talk to farmers and assess their needs. Many of the dairy farmers along the Gulf Coast region had such immediate needs as milking their cows to prevent their animals from contracting udder infections or developing other illnesses due to an interruption in the normal milking process.
The destruction wrought by the hurricane also severely compromised the veterinary infrastructure in the affected areas. Dr. Murphy’s VMAT team played an integral role in setting up a temporary veterinary clinic in Hattiesburg to provide medical treatment to injured animals. The team also supported the Humane Society’s efforts to rescue stranded and displaced animals. Dr. Murphy and her team helped process the animals as they arrived at the clinic, conducted physical exams and administered vital vaccines.
“The goal of VMAT is to help with the immediate relief, while trying not to disturb the existing veterinary services provided by the localities,” said Dr. Murphy. “We reach out to help with animal care and stay as long as needed to assist with the rebuilding effort.” Dr. Murphy’s work in Mississippi is just one example of the positive impact that volunteerism can have in times of tragedy, and everyday.
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VDH Medical Reserve Corps Volunteers Deploy to Baton Rouge For Lex Gibson and Jake Lekan, helping survivors of Hurricane Katrina was one of the highlights of both their professional careers and private lives. Gibson and Lekan found themselves working at an American Red Cross staging headquarters in a former Wal-Mart store in Baton Rouge, La., Along with three other volunteers from the Roanoke/Alleghany Health Districts, they served with the Virginia Medical Reserve Corps in the hurricane ravaged area. “I feel that this is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life. It’s been a moving experience and I am awed with the opportunity to fulfill something in my life that I’ve needed to do,” said Lekan, an environmental health specialist with the Vinton Health Department.
Gibson, an epidemiologist with the Roanoke City Health Department, helped survey and keep records of the medical conditions of survivors. He estimated that about 40,000 people had been processed at the staging area. The data gathered at shelters within a 100-mile radius of Baton Rouge, La., will be helpful in dealing with future disasters. Working 12 to 18 hour days, Gibson went to shelters with a team of volunteers from other states, armed with questionnaires. They gathered information on evacuees’ health conditions, both at the time they entered the shelters, as well as medical concerns such as chronic medical conditions and the quality of their lives before the hurricane. They also inquired about their current access to medical care, mental health care and detoxification procedures. “It’s a really sad situation and there are lots of personal losses and unknowns to deal with,” Gibson said. “I don’t think I could cope as well as most of these people have.”
During their two-week deployment, Gibson and Lekan lived with other volunteers in a motel conference room without access to a shower. He said they slept on cots or on the floor, but were grateful that, unlike so many others, they had electricity and air conditioning. “The people here display the true spirit of America’s flexibility and ability to look forward to the future,” Lekan said. “Everyone here has been reduced to one class of people – those who have nothing. They just want to get home and see if they can salvage anything and assess their futures.” In addition to Gibson and Lekan, other volunteers from the Roanoke/Alleghany Health Districts who served in the Gulf Coast region area included:
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VDH Public Information Officer Volunteers in Texas Shelters When a disaster such as Hurricane Katrina strikes, normal lines of communication are disrupted, rumors run rampant and it can be difficult to know what to believe. In the weeks after the storm, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) called on public information officers (PIOs) to volunteer to help provide accurate information to evacuees and the media in the Gulf region. Larry Hill, eastern region PIO for the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), responded to the call and spent two weeks in Beaumont, Texas, as a FEMA spokesperson.
After a day of training in Denton, Texas, Hill drove to Beaumont, Texas to work in FEMA shelters. Listening to a talk radio show on his way to Beaumont, Hill became aware of the many rumors about relief efforts.
“Misinformation was common,” Hill said. “I believe most of it was coming from folks who got their information from word of mouth rather than from the media.”
Hill spent his first week in Beaumont working at the Ford Arena, which sheltered almost 2,000 survivors. He helped clear up confusion for evacuees, informing them of what FEMA could do for them. Hill also assisted the senior FEMA officer at the shelter to prepare for daily press conferences and fielded questions from reporters. Within days, he was able to answer 90 percent of the questions he was asked on the spot.
During the second week of his deployment, Hill worked to get the news out that FEMA had moved from the Ford Arena and was opening a disaster relief center at the First Baptist Church gym in downtown Beaumont. Hill said public health had a low profile where he was, and sanitation was the primary focus. Disaster medical assistance teams treated evacuees who were ill. Hill also used his risk communication training in less conventional ways. Knowing that it can help to give people something to do in crisis situations, he suggested to the American Red Cross that the church volunteers who cooked for the shelter could collect some Cajun recipes from the evacuees. The next thing he knew, 1,500 evacuees and workers were enjoying a meal of red beans and rice with sausage, shrimp Creole, crayfish and jambalaya. The traditional New Orleans fare was so popular that it was on the menu four nights in a row.
“What a hit with the evacuees this dinner was,” Hill said. “It was very heartwarming when you would ask an evacuee how they liked the jambalaya and they would give you a thumbs-up.” While operations ran relatively well where Hill worked, he admitted that the relief effort wasn’t easy.
“Texas taking on all those evacuees was a big challenge,” Hill said. “There was no playbook on how to handle this huge task.” One thing Hill did to help things run smoothly was to quickly develop working relationships with other organizations, including the Red Cross, the U.S. District Attorney’s office, medical teams, local law enforcement and fire departments, public health departments and church groups. “Work as part of a team, not as an individual, and don’t try to change the way people are doing things unless asked,” Hill advised. “It works much better that way.” Hill plans to present what he learned in Texas to his colleagues in public health to help them prepare to respond to future disasters in Virginia and elsewhere. He feels his experience will be valuable not only to other PIOs, but to emergency planners, directors, epidemiologists and nurses as well.
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Virginia Establishes Shelter for Evacuees
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita spread destruction throughout the Gulf Coast region and sent many evacuees seeking shelter far away from their home states. In an effort to accommodate the large number of those displaced by the storms, Virginia mobilized on Sept. 6 to set up a comprehensive shelter and recovery center at Fort Pickett Army National Guard Base in Blackstone. Within 72 hours a fully operational "Town Pickett" had been established, capable of providing a one-stop shop for hot meals, medical care, social services, housing, financial assistance, employment assistance and other services for up to 1,400 evacuees. The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) played a key role in the Town Pickett effort, partnering with agencies including the National Guard, Virginia Department of Emergency Management, American Red Cross and Virginia State Police. VDH’s health and medical objectives at Town Pickett included treating ill evacuees when they arrived, assessing community health needs, providing on-site medical, dental and mental health services and controlling disease. Other health systems, including the University of Virginia, Sentara and Carilion, offered their services to provide medical care as needed.
“Looking back on what we accomplished at Town Pickett, I am amazed at those who worked tirelessly to put something together in a time period many thought was not possible,” said Dr. Levine. “This project was achievable because of the great team members that were involved and I am really proud of them. They all showed an incredible level of teamwork, expertise and flexibility that made this possible.” One of the VDH services available at Town Pickett was the Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC), which provides quality nutritional care and food to participants. Officials mobilized an expedited clinic at which hurricane survivors could be screened for eligibility to receive WIC services while they recovered in Virginia. Through collaborative efforts with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Fort Pickett military personnel, the Virginia WIC Program was able to offer the same high quality services and benefits available to Virginia participants to evacuees hailing from states devastated by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Although it was eventually determined that evacuees would not be sent to Town Pickett, Virginia Secretary for Health and Human Resources Jane Woods recognized the value of the operation. “The long hours, the hard work and the flexibility has made this Town Pickett effort a model of how Virginians can pull together and respond to an event and the needs of those who may seek shelter in our Commonwealth,” Woods said. “We will be ready in the future and have the plans and facility in place to respond to the next hurricane or other disaster in Virginia.”
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VDH Vital Records Office Assists Evacuees in Obtaining Birth Certificates When you have lost everything, a birth certificate can be the hardest thing to live without. Securing federal aid, enrolling in school, getting a new driver’s license, all of these require proof of identity to move forward. That is why the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) Division of Vital Records stepped up to assist Hurricane Katrina evacuees who relocated to Virginia in obtaining a replacement birth record. “Our goal is to do all we can in order to help those who have come to Virginia to catch their breath before going back to Louisiana or those who may decide to stay here permanently,” said Janet Rainey, acting director of the VDH Division of Vital Records. To date, the VDH Division of Vital Records has helped 50 evacuees who were born in Virginia to begin re-establishing their birth records free of charge. VDH also assisted the Louisiana Vital Records Office to serve 90 evacuees born in Louisiana who sought refuge in Virginia from the storm damage. Starting Nov. 7, evacuees born in Louisiana were able to request their birth certificates directly from the Louisiana Vital Records Office. After the hurricane, the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS) contacted vital records staff in Louisiana and established procedures that states may follow to assist those evacuees residing in their state who were born in Louisiana. “Even though the Vital Records office in Louisiana is working with minimal staff, they are working hard to serve those persons in need of birth certificates from Louisiana,” said Steven Schwartz, Ph.D., president of NAPHSIS. “We completely support them in this effort and are helping in any way we can.” For more information about obtaining birth, death or marriage certificates in Virginia, visit the VDH Vital Records Web site.
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Free Child Safety Seats Offered For Children Displaced by Hurricane Katrina
Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of injury and death in the United States, and Virginia law requires that all children under the age of 6 be properly secured in a child restraint. VDH’s safety seat program distributes child safety seats for children up to age 3 to Virginia families who could otherwise not afford them. VDH expanded the program and waived certain requirements for Gulf state residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina “VDH would like to contribute to the long-term safety of these children who are moving into Virginia because of the impacts of Hurricane Katrina,” said State Health Commissioner Robert B. Stroube, M.D., M.P.H. “These parents and young children have already been through so much. With the other concerns and expenses facing them as they rebuild their lives, these relocated families can use our help to ensure their children are transported safely.” VDH purchases the child safety seats using revenues from fines assessed to those who violate Virginia’s child passenger safety seat law. Approximately 50,000 safety seats have been distributed to Virginia residents since 1996 at more than 130 distribution sites statewide. Katrina survivors are eligible for a free child safety seat if they meet the following qualifications:
All other Virginia residents applying for the program must additionally meet the following requirements:
To learn how to apply for the low income safety seat distribution and education program and to find a local distribution site, visit www.safetyseatva.org or call (800) 732-8333, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Newcomer Health Program Helps Refugees Displaced by Hurricane Katrina Refugees from foreign countries were among those who fled their homes in the Gulf Coast region following Hurricane Katrina. To assure continuity of health care services, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) Newcomer Health Program, in collaboration with other local service providers, temporarily adjusted its requirements for aid for those refugees. Based on guidance from the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement, the new rules waive the 60-month limitation on social services to refugees who have been in the United States for more than 60 months, effective from Sept. 1, 2005 through Sept. 30, 2006. While the waiver is not limited to refugees who lived in, or were evacuated from the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina, its purpose is to provide critical social services, including health care services, to hurricane survivors. Refugees evacuated or displaced by Hurricane Katrina might no longer have access to necessary documents and identification. Therefore, documentation requirements have also been relaxed for services provided under the Refugee Resettlement Program. A written declaration of status by the refugee is sufficient to provide necessary services, including access to health care. This relaxation of documentation requirements applies to people with the following statuses: refugees, asylees, Cuban/Haitian entrants, Amerasians, and victims of trafficking who were recently evacuated or displaced as a result of Hurricane Katrina. The U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement has distributed a declaration form for state and local service providers to use when processing individuals impacted by this change. Local health departments should refer evacuees who claim refugee status to refugee resettlement providers in their district. The Newcomer Health Program protects the public’s health by empowering Virginia’s local health districts to provide thorough initial health assessments to all refugees entering the Commonwealth. Working closely with local health departments, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state and federal governmental agencies and voluntary resettlement agencies across the state, the program assists hundreds of refugees in their resettlement process each year. Refugees are people who are forced to flee their country of origin because of civil conflicts, persecution, human rights violations and the absence of civil liberties. Between 1998 and 2005, more than 13,000 refugees entered Virginia from Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. During fiscal year 2005, the Newcomer Health Program completed 1,394 refugee health assessments.
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Employment and Housing Offered to Displaced EMS Providers In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) took the lead role in a coordinated nationwide effort, through the National Association of State EMS Directors, to assist the emergency medical technicians and paramedics who were out of jobs or housing due to the storm. “We prepared to help qualified EMS Katrina evacuees in any way possible," said Gary R. Brown, director of the Office of EMS. "We received responses from Virginia EMS agencies offering both job opportunities and housing, temporarily or permanently. These men and women displaced by Hurricane Katrina dedicate their lives to helping others. This gave us the opportunity to help them." EMS offices in states not impacted by the disaster were asked to act as a clearinghouse or contact point for displaced emergency medical technicians (EMT) and paramedics. These state EMS offices were asked to contact their local EMS agencies to determine if EMS jobs were available and if they could temporarily assist with housing for displaced workers. The Virginia Office of EMS was available to assist with reciprocity, legal recognition and Virginia certification issues. It also provided a point of contact for any EMT or paramedic who was interested in relocating to Virginia temporarily or full time. Other Virginia EMS groups were notified of this EMS assistance including: Regional EMS Councils, Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads, Virginia Governmental EMS Association and Virginia Ambulance Association. Through these efforts, displaced EMS workers learned about the job and housing opportunities in Virginia and some have relocated to the Commonwealth.
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| Accolades
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VDH Public Relations Staff Receive National Awards VDH won two awards in this year's National Public Health Information Coalition public relations materials competition. The two winners were chosen from entries submitted in 15 categories by health departments nationwide. The Center for Injury and Violence Prevention won a Gold award in the Brochures category for its collection of bilingual Injury Prevention Tip Cards. View the whole series here. VDH also received a Silver Award in the Posters category, which went to the Virginia Abstinence Education Initiative. View the posters here. VDH staff received the awards in late October at the National Public Health Information Coalition conference.
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VDH Employees Go Nuts to Help Feed the Hungry
Eleven VDH offices and floors answered the challenge by the Office of Human Resources to collect jars of peanut butter. Prizes were awarded to offices for most jars collected, most pounds collected per person and most brands collected. Peanut butter is one of the most urgently needed food items for feeding the hungry in central Virginia, especially for the 61 percent of CVFB's recipients who are either children or elderly. "Peanut butter is a natural source of protein," explained Rick Holzbach, food resource manager at CVFB. "Whether you are 2 years old or have arthritic hands, you can have a peanut butter sandwich and get the protein you need." Along with children and the elderly, CVFB feeds the unemployed, the "working poor," disaster victims, the sick and those in crisis through 549 partner agencies. These agencies include church pantries, senior centers, day care providers, emergency shelters, Kids Cafes in after school and summer programs and more. Learn more about CVFB at www.cvfb.org.
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Legislation (HB2097) enacted by the 2003 General Assembly required each state agency to develop a strategic plan. VDH's strategic plan contains the agency's vision and mission statements, ten agency goals, and other provisions. View the VDH strategic plan.
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VDH 2005 Annual Report Now Online The VDH 2005 annual report highlights the wide range of services offered over the past year to improve the health of all Virginians. Prevention, preparedness and promoting healthy lifestyles help VDH keep the promise of healthy people in healthy communities. View the 2005 Annual Report. |
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The VDH team included public information officers, environmental health specialists, epidemiologists (surveillance teams), emergency medical services staff, public health nurses, emergency planners and support staff, and local health districts. The VDH effort was lead by Henrico Health District Director Mark J. Levine, M.D., M.P.H, who served as Town Pickett Incident Commander for Health and Medical Operations. 
In September, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) began offering free child safety seats for eligible children relocating to Virginia due to Hurricane Katrina. The child safety seats are available to relocated children through Virginia’s low income safety seat distribution and education program until February 2006. Many families displaced by the storm have already received safety seats through the program.
Virginia Department of Health (VDH) employees in the Richmond Central Office exceeded expectations answering a nutty challenge to collect peanut butter for the Central Virginia Foodbank (CVFB). The challenge was the finale of a year-long food drive that ran in conjunction with VDH’s periodic blood drives. Until the peanut butter challenge, VDH employees had donated 384 pounds of food. In the span of one month, employees donated 475 jars of peanut butter, totaling more than 664 pounds.