Easton nurse practitioner

comments on

preparations

By SUSAN DELEAN-BOTKIN

Special to The Star Democrat

EDITOR'S NOTE: Medical

providers from the Eastern Shore left Thursday in Wellmobiles bound

for Montgomery, Ala. One volunteer, Susan Delean-Botkin, a nurse

practitioner at FamityCare in Easton, will send regular updates

on her journey through areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina. This is

the second entry in her Katrina journal:

"It has been a week since Katrina hit the Gulf Coast — for those who

were in her path it must seem like an eternity. For those of us preparing to head South, it has been time collapsed; There are a lot of com-

plaints about response time and lack of preparations. You may find

it interesting to look behind the scenes to -see what goes into an

organizational effort to bring a health care team to a disaster area

here in the United States.

'"Day One: the scope of the disaster is realized: The

University of Maryland School of Nursing has ^five bus-size health

care offices. Each of these is assigned to a geographical area

that has special needs and is staffed by a Nurse Practitioner, an

RN, a driver and other support staff as needed. There are two

exam rooms, basic lab set-up, and a small reception area in each

WellMobile. Two vans are assigned to the Eastern Shore.

one to Southern Maryland, one to Prince Georges, one to Western

Maryland.

"Katherine Montgomery of the School of Nursing started working the minute she heard of the Golf Coast disaster. She contacted the Governor's office, the Red Cross and the WellMobie coordinator Rebecca Wiseman. CareFirst

donated $l00,OO0 to the effort.

"Day Two: Thursday Within 36 hours, all the approvals were in

place to move the large vehicles across state lines to the disaster

area. First, they were to be transported by C-130 cargo planes.

They were 18-feet too high — letting the air out of the tires doesn't

work with these babies. So plan B was put into effect: drive them to

the selected sites.

"Day Three: Friday The two vehicles then had to be stocked for

a different type of health care than usually provided —- disaster relief.

Mary Dunlavey, CRNP, of the Prince George's Mobile took on

the daunting task of/ordering medications and supplies in 12 hours.

She ran into one Snag—Labor Day Weekend. Mary was able to

get the ordering done, but nothing could be delivered until the

Tuesday after Labor Day. "Other Nurse Practitioners were

notified, Debra Windruth of Salisbury WellMobile got donations from the hospitals and doctors on the Lower Shore and signed on to provide care with her

WellMobile. Donations started to pour in; I was asked by Mary

Dunlavey to assist with the project.

"Day Four: Saturday we worked through the day putting

lists together of supplies that Mary could not get from the drug

wholesalers in Baltimore. We still did not know where we were

going. Trudy Guthrie at Holy Trinity in Oxford and Kathy Sykes

of Oxford were contacted about donations. Within hours e-mails

were flying, and posters made.

Day 5: Sunday I got to speak at Holy Trinity in Oxford twice on

asking for donations. I have not spoken from the pulpit

before – it is a little daunting. Contributions started to roll in.

If there is a person without a toothbrush in the South when we leave,

it will not be our fault. Mimi Shanahan and Lisa Townsend from

Hill's Drug stores got early morning phone calls explaining the

dilemma, and what we still needed in the medication department.

'Just give us the list,' they said. Aside: It was interesting the

drug wholesaler would sell Mary certain medicines wholesale but

not others. No medications for depression or reflux, no contra-

ceptives, or HRT. They were longterm meds and people need them.

I miss the logic here.

"Day Six: Labor Day. Holy Trinity's front hall starts to fill up

with clean, and many new summer clothes still with the tags on.

Toiletries,Tylenol, aspirin, etc. Cash donations arrive, and we

decide to set up a special checking account on Tuesday. Ali and Chris

Murray of Easton make phone calls and send faxes to the local

Physician’s offices asking for samples of medications — inhalers,

antidepressants, formula, HRT,whatever they can spare.

"We have a destination, Montgomery, AL. We will stage from

there — they have water, electricity, gas and grocery stores.

I called the Emergency Management team of Montgomery, and they were

extremely helpful with what was needed and how things were going. I contacted All Souls Episcopal Church in Montgomery, AL. If the Red Cross site only has

portable potties, and no shade, they said they would give us the

keys to the church, use of all the facilities to cook meals and do

laundry. We can camp under the trees on their lawn and park the

huge Mobiles in their parking lot. You have to love this – people are so wonderful. Ask and you shall receive; we did and we have.

Jim Wallace pastor, also let us know that most of the refugees are housed in church facilities around the city – sleeping on pews, on the floors, on cots, whatever. All the churches are working together – very ecumenical.

Day Seven: Tuesday. Sue Schutz and Justine Cooney arrive at the office to help

coordinate. Ali and Chris collect huge amounts of medications and

formula, stack it in the office; Paul Kaczmarek, Pittsburgh drives my

sister-in-law's motor home from Winchester to Oxford. At 6 p.m. a

team of volunteers from Holy Trinity - Trudy Guthrie, Brad

Patterson, Pat and Steve Wheaton, Clint and Mary Clubb, Sy and

Debbie Smith, Berry Passano, and Joe Botkin — sort, pack and label

all donations. The van is packed ready to roll.

Meanwhile in Baltimore At 1 pm a Ryder truck full of medication pulls up to the WellMobiles. It takes four hours to unload and organize. The WellMobiles are ready.

Day Eight: Wednesday —The Eastern Shore departure is delayed one day because more medications are needed. The big WellMobiles leave at 5 a.m. from Baltimore. 2 NPs. 3 RNs, drivers, and support staff: 10 people 8 days, all privately funded and arranged. Think of what it takes for a massive mobilization of military.

We call Hill’s – coumadin is needed and the drug wholesales in Baltimore shorted the blood pressure medication. Hill’s provides and adds inhalers for asthma and COPD. More supplies and donations arrive – air mattresses from Rick Laverty with the pump, cash from the Cambridge Lions Club through Jim Laverty. Three bicycles for us to use as transportation and then leave with people who need them.

Day Nine: Thursday. We are on the road by mid afternoon. Thank you to EVERYONE who brought money and supplies – I hope the air does not blow out of the tires on this huge motor home. It is packed to the gills, even the shower and bathroom are jammed.