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Physicians still recovering from Katrina

Medical Staff Leader Connection, February 4, 2009

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When you caught word that Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, you probably asked the same question I did: What can I do to help? Maybe you sorted through your closet and donated to a clothing drive dedicated to Katrina victims or bought a few extra cans of soup for a food bank. Or perhaps you opened your home to a displaced family.

Our efforts to help the victims were applauded, but that wasn't the case for some physicians and nurses in Louisiana hospitals who have been faulted for providing inadequate care in the days after the storm. Dr. Anna Pou, who stayed with her patients at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans for several days despite intense heat and no electricity, was accused of murdering several patients during those harrowing days. Most of the charges were later dropped, but her story inspired the development of Senate Bill 301 and Senate Bill 330, which were passed into law August 15, 2008 to protect doctors and nurses who care for patients during emergencies and evacuations.

After reading Dr. Pou’s story on the Committee for Disaster Medicine Reform’s Web site, it became clear just how important having a disaster and evacuation plan is. If you don’t have a policy in place for granting disaster privileges, start writing it now to protect your organization legally. You never know when disaster could strike or where patients’ lawyers are hiding. 

Elizabeth Jones
Associate Editor
HCPro, Inc.

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