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News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343

HHS Announces Immediate Aid to Florida to Help Provide Medical and Human Services After Hurricane Charley

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced today that the Department of Health and Human Services is making more than $11 million available to support Florida families in the wake of Hurricane Charley. Secretary Thompson visited Florida to assess the health and other needs resulting from the storm.

The initial funding includes up to $10 million in emergency one-time grants to Head Start and Early Head Start centers; $1 million to assist DeSoto County Hospital and Osceola Regional Hospital; and a $200,000 emergency grant to help Florida officials provide meals, shelter and services to elderly residents affected by Hurricane Charley. Additionally, Secretary Thompson deployed emergency and mental health personnel to Florida to support state and local efforts.

"We are determined to provide Florida families the tools they need to recover from Hurricane Charley," Secretary Thompson said. "We are working around the clock to identify health and human services needs, and we'll be here as long as the people of Florida need us."

To date, HHS is providing the following assistance in the wake of Hurricane Charley:

  • The $10 million for Head Start and Early Head Start grantees, administered by the Administration on Children and Families (ACF), will assist in the repair, renovation, reconstruction or replacement of facilities, supplies and equipment damaged as a result of Hurricane Charley. In addition, ACF will waive up to $27 million in cost sharing for grantees, so that every Head Start or Early Head Start in the hurricane's strike area can receive contributions to return them to operation.

  • The initial $1 million mission assignment will provide 49 specialty care nurses, four primary care providers, four pharmacists, and 11 radiology and laboratory technicians to two hospitals greatest hit by the impact of the storm. These personnel will come from the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the Veterans Administration, the Department of Defense, and the National Disaster Medical System. This mission assignment may be extended as the needed, but this support will allow the hospitals to begin their work soon.

  • The $200,000 grant, administered by HHS' Administration on Aging (AoA), is in addition to $83 million awarded to Florida in fiscal year 2004 for elderly programs and will be used by state officials to fill any gaps in providing emergency care caused by the hurricane.

  • AoA also is supplying meals and water to seniors who have been affected by Hurricane Charley. In addition, AoA is sending a liaison to help federal workers coordinate assistance and services to elderly individuals. Of the 20 counties in the United States that have the highest percentage of elderly individuals, nine of those counties were affected by this hurricane.

  • The Secretary's Emergency Response Team has been in Florida since Saturday. The team is working closely with Florida state officials, FEMA and other federal agencies. They are closely monitoring health and human services needs and quickly making assistance available as the state officials make requests.

  • The Secretary deployed 10 nurses and 10 mental health providers from the Secretary's Commissioned Corps Reserve Force to assist the Red Cross in providing nursing and mental health services to people who have lost their homes.

  • Federal medical assistance includes Disaster Medical Assistance Teams. Three of the Florida-based teams are supporting hospitals with their emergency room operations. Additional medical teams are on standby and ready to move in and assist as needed.

  • HHS' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is making available mental health professionals specifically trained to assist individuals who have been affected by disasters. Studies indicate that lingering affects may occur in people and families long after the physical damage has been fixed.

  • HHS' Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is working closely with the Medicare contractors -- fiscal intermediaries and carriers -- and managed care plans to ensure that health care services continue to be provided as needed without any concerns for payment. Particular attention is being paid to ambulance providers who need to transport Medicare beneficiaries to safer facilities and to managed care plans who may need to approve requests for out of network services.

  • The HHS Command Center is operating 24 hours a day and is in constant communication with state and local emergency management operations, as well as other federal departments, including Homeland Security and the White House.

  • HHS' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued guidance outlining what residents should do with food in the event that power is lost. In addition, FDA investigators will work with the state to identify any FDA regulated establishments that may have been damaged by the storm and therefore, require additional inspections or regulatory follow up. FDA is also assessing the adequacy of the blood supply for the affected areas and hospitals. More information can be found at http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2004/NEW01104.html.

  • HHS' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is assisting in an epidemiological assessment of the southwest Florida Disaster Region and continues to release safety information to residents. CDC issued a press release on Aug. 13, to help people protect themselves after a storm. More information can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r040813.htm.

  • HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is working with health centers in neighboring counties to send staff in to assist health centers in hardest hit areas, especially to address surge needs of special populations including migrants and the elderly. Staff members from health center sites that are still closed due to the hurricane are canvassing the area, especially in Hardee County, to help identify displaced migrant workers and get them into care.

"The people of Florida should know that the full resources of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stand at the ready to help them through this challenging time," Secretary Thompson said. "We already have doctors, nurses, and disaster response specialists on site to help those in need. As time goes on, we will continue to send additional people and resources to help rebuild those lives and communities affected."

For comprehensive health information, visit http://www.hhs.gov/disasters/hurricane.html.

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last Revised: August 17, 2004

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