Operation USA's Continued Response To Hurricane Katrina
Source: Operation USA - USA
Susan Fassig & Jason Cuomo
Website: http://www.opusa.org
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Operation USA's Continued Response To Hurricane Katrina
11/06
11/06
While the Gulf Coast region has received a record outpouring of aid, massive challenges remain. Infrastructure needs to be rebuilt, homes replaced, and families returned. A critical, yet often overlooked step on the road to recovery is to ensure that the health needs of the most vulnerable are met.
To address the needs of Katrina victims in the immediate aftermath of the storm, Operation USA focused our resources on community health clinics. Having over 27 years of experience supporting low income health programs, OpUSA provided an initial $8 million in supplies and $700,000 in cash grants to Gulf Coast clinics. These resources ensured the clinics' continuity of operations and allowed them to provide critical disaster relief and social services.
We continue to focus on the needs of the clinics. Buildings remain in disrepair, disaster resilience is low, evacuated clinical staff have been unable to return, displaced families need services, and chronic conditions have been exacerbated by the events surrounding the storm and the recovery from it - all of which places an overwhelming strain on clinics and healthcare providers.
Operation USA has recently granted an additional $816,000 to 22 health agencies in Louisiana and Mississippi. As with our initial round of grants, Operation USA once again partnered with local and state clinic associations and worked directly with them to identify their most pressing needs. Our current projects include the installation of emergency generators, the hiring of additional clinical staff, and the development of mental health programs for both clients and providers.
The generosity of our donors has enabled us to help those clinics and people most in need. However, we find ourselves at a critical juncture where the continued viability of the clinics, the health of the area population, and, indeed, the very stability of the Gulf Coast region, is dependent on steady donor interest and support.
The flood waters have receded, yet the physical and emotional wreckage persists.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
