Storm Evacuees Found to Suffer Health Setbacks

Once again the New York Times has set me off.... [As usual, click the title of the entry to get to the NYT article]

Okay, so first of all, DUH?!?! Was there anyone (outside of the Bush administration) who thought things were rosy for the Katrina evacuees? Or even better, that perhaps they're doing even better now??? Oh right, when God closes a door, he opens a window. But when you start climbing in and out of windows, people mistake you for a burglar and that's just no good. Besides, what if it's a fifteenth floor window? What is God really saying? Give it up, buddy. Just jump!

But like anyone in public health and especially anyone who has worked in public health preparedness, I was disturbed by the all the people who, months after the disaster, are still without medical necessities. I drives me insane how so few people can latch onto that concept that there are actually people out there that need medication on a daily basis. I guess I've been in that position so long that it seems entirely reasonable to me. But most people just don't get it. There are people, LOTS of people, who actually need drugs, medical equipment, medical care, on an ongoing basis, not just once in a while. Why don't we expect that?

Which brings me back to preparedness. Of course nebulizers were going to be lost. Why would you have held onto something that required electricity when you hadn't seen electricity in weeks? And prescriptions and treatment, why did anyone think the medical establishment would remain consistent? Doctors are funny that way -- they actually consider themselves to be people and do crazy things like have families and in disasters or catastrophes (like when their homes are destroyed) they make their decisions based on the best interests of their families, not necessarily their patients. How wacky is that? If only we could set up some system of indentured servitude like Northern Exposure. Then, we could have our physicians where we wanted them. Of course I'm joking, for the most part. But where is the stockpile of medical equipment to replace what was lost in the storm and evacuation? Surely some medical corporation or conglomerate is in need of a good sized tax deduction and some positive publicity? And what about that medical corps of volunteers? Remember? We vaccinated them against smallpox and everything!! What, was this not enough of an emergency for them?

Wait, don't tell me. Our resources are stretched too thin to fight a war on two fronts ~ until we get out of Iraq we can't go into Louisiana? At the very least, Dick Cheney should be sending his $1.9 million tax REFUND to these folks. That would buy quite a bit of mental health treatment and insulin or even health insurance premiums if the government doesn't get it's act together and pony up some Medicaid benefits for these poor souls.

What? I sound like some bleeding heart liberal or even a socialist. Nah. I just tend to hold the government responsible for the predicament these people are in the first place. You can point your fingers at the Feds, the State, the locals, whoever. You do have ten fingers, after all. And there is more than enough blame to go around!!

So, yes, undisputed fact. We knew, EVERYONE knew, for like 100 years, that the levees could not handle a hurricane. Don't talk to me about dodging the hurricane, etc, etc. Water flows. That's not unexpected. We can even predict when and how high rivers will crest. (Aren't we smart?) So, no, the flooding was not a surprise, it was just a matter of time.

But the poor people, they had no transportation, no money for hotels, no place to go. They couldn't evacuate. Bull. Shit. I think Willie Brown, past Mayor of accident prone San Francisco, put it best when he was a guest on Bill Maher's show. He said that being Mayor is like being principal of an elementary school. When the fire alarm goes off, it's your responsibility to make sure everyone gets out. There were city buses, school buses and even Amtrak trains that could have been used to move people out of the city. There was no reason anyone needed their own transportation -- public transportation just gets retasked. And as far as hotels or family members to stay with, that didn't need to be an issue either. It's called a mutual aid agreement. Cities further inland open Red Cross shelters to take in evacuees. This is all standard protocol for the East Coast states where hurricanes regularly cause mandatory evacuations of coastal areas. Preparedness. It's not that difficult a concept. (Or at least it shouldn't be.... I suppose it doesn't really have a lot to do with horse shows, though?)