2005
SPH Reponds to Hurricane Katrina
School Opens Its Doors to Students from Tulane University, Holds Community Events, and Offers Preparedness Training
In response to the devastation and destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina to New Orleans and surrounding areas, the School of Public Health has opened its doors to 14 public health students displaced from Tulane University.
Dean Stephen Shortell, along with School of Public Health faculty, program managers, and student representatives, welcomed the Tulane students at a lunch on September 16. The lunch served as an opportunity to discuss the visiting students' needs and the services and support available. Several of the Tulane students expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to pursue their studies at Berkeley.
On September 27, the School held an open forum on Hurricane Katrina. Students who organized the event hoped to create an opportunity to show concern for the displaced students and to build community. A powerful part of the event was the Tulane students' sharing of their experiences with Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Items discussed at the forum included racism and classism as they impact health and vulnerable populations; lessons learned from this disaster and how to better prepare for disasters as a School community; and the building of community capacity to make sure such devastation and human toll never takes place again.
The School is also addressing the issues raised by the Katrina disaster in numerous events, projects, and trainings.
The School's Dr.P.H. in Action Project, conducted by first-year Dr.P.H. students, will be studying "Applying Lessons Learned from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to Improving Local Disaster Preparedness for Vulnerable Populations."
The School's Center for Public Health Practice will hold a two-part panel session on Hurricane Katrina and disaster preparedness on October 31 and November 7 (part of its "What Can You Do with a Public Health Degree?" series). The School is planning a special Dean's Colloquium on Hurricane Katrina for November. (More information on this events will follow.)
In spring 2006, the School's Center for Infectious Disease Preparedness (CIDP) will offer a number of trainings related to Hurricane Katrina. A new course on disaster epidemiology will include preparation for deployment should the need arise in the future. The center's regular spring course, "Core Infectious Disease Emergency Readiness," will address public health issues and challenges faced during the Gulf coast hurricanes. CIDP will also conduct regional conferences throughout California on "Designing Exercises to Test Public Health Emergency Operations Plans." These conferences target local health departments and will integrate lessons learned from the Gulf Coast hurricanes.
CIDP is participating directly in response operations through activation and deployment of Cindy Lambdin, R.N., M.S., emergency operations specialist, to the impacted area. Shelter operations continue with over 100,000 individuals spread within 25 shelters in the Louisiana and Mississippi area alone. Many individuals require shelter assistance and are in need of continued medical care management and intervention. Sheltering operations will be a longterm endeavor as the southern region slowly recovers from this catastrophic event.