�HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today proclaimed that HHS personnel will assist the states of Louisiana and Texas in evacuating an estimated 900 special medical needs patients today and in providing care for evacuated patients. The aid is portion of HHS' aid to states as they prepare for the expected landfall of Hurricane Gustav.
"Our thoughts are with those potentially in the track of Hurricane Gustav," Secretary Leavitt aforesaid. "HHS is working close with the states and rapidly mobilizing medical personnel and necessary resources to be ready to help those impacted by this major storm."
HHS has activated the National Disaster Medical System, a federally coordinated operation that tin assist united States Department of State and local officials in dealing with major disasters. HHS too is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to provide gentle wind evacuation of 500 medical patients in Texas and an estimated 500 by air from Louisiana.
HHS personnel are assisting the state of Mississippi and will assist the res publica of Alabama to evacuate medical patients by anchor to health care facilities within the states. As part of this care, HHS has placed iI Federal Medical Stations, each with a 250-bed capacity, setup in Texas and four in Louisiana to provide low-critical care to residents during the emergency brake. HHS likewise has caches of medical supplies in place in the Gulf region, with additional caches of medical supplies ready to deploy as necessary.
In planning for elimination and for medical attention during and post-landfall of Hurricane Gustav, HHS has coordinated with federal agency partners to provide 600 ambulances, 20 air ambulances and 4,000 paratransit seats. Paratransit vehicles ar specially weaponed to rapture people with disabilities.
Patients are moving to health care facilities in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and other areas of Texas. In addition, hospitals in Iowa, Kansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky that are in the National Disaster Medical System can receive additional patients if requisite.
Approximately 1,100 HHS personnel ar in place today, including members of Disaster Medical Assistance Teams which allow for emergency medical response. An additional 450 Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officers have been deployed by Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Joxel Garcia, an admiral in the Commissioned Corps.
Medical Reserve Corps units in southwestern Alabama have been also been activated. Medical Reserve Corps units in Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee are on standby, ready to augment the state and local response to Hurricane Gustav.
Medical Reserve Corps units, which are topically based, organize and utilise volunteers world Health Organization supplement existing emergency and public wellness resources. These personnel can assist state and other federal personnel office with patient evacuations and medical supporting for the general population during evacuations. They besides can supply medical musical accompaniment after landfall.
Teams from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will support province officials in tracking potential drop public health issues, including diseases genetic by insects such as mosquitoes.
Teams from HHS human services agencies will work with special inevitably populations. For instance, the Administration on Aging has been facilitating discussions with directors of state agencies that assistance the ageing, to help coordinate preparation to assure the of necessity of the elderly are met. Liaisons from the Indian Health Service are working with state officials and tribes to guarantee state requests for assistance are met.
Using a human services case direction program, HHS experts will coordinate with states to connect individuals with extra needs to social services for which they crataegus oxycantha be eligible following a disaster, including child concern. This pilot program is in improver to FEMA disaster services.
The National Institute of Health's Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare has reached out to grantee institutions in the Gulf region regarding protecting animals these organizations crataegus oxycantha house.
The HHS Secretary's Operations Center, which operates 24 hours a day, remains in constant communication with federal, state and local emergency management trading operations in the affected states. HHS liaisons are in place in state trading operations centers and the federal regional coordination centers in the Gulf States.
The HHS Web site home page is featuring a data link to public health and safety information specifically related to hurricanes at hypertext transfer protocol://www.hHS.gov/hurricane.
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