Department of Health and Human Services
HHS Logo Bottom
HHS Yellow Bar

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, September 6, 2004

Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343

HHS Deploys Medical Workers to Assist Florida Families

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced today that the department is coordinating the deployment of dozens of emergency medical personnel to provide assistance to communities damaged by Hurricane Frances, while also urging Florida residents to take necessary precautions to protect their health and safety as they begin cleaning up from the hurricane.

"HHS is working day and night to support the people of Florida in their time of need," Secretary Thompson said. "We are in constant contact with local, state and federal officials to provide medical care and expertise to Florida families and communities."

Under Secretary Thompson's direction, HHS is deploying approximately 70 nurses and five pharmacists to four locations along the eastern seaboard of Florida to provide services to special needs shelters. These shelters are set up to provide basic nursing and medical care to individuals already suffering from sickness or injuries or at high risk of illness often due to age. These shelters are located in Indian River County, St. Lucie County and Martin County.

HHS also is assembling six additional teams to deploy to Florida, as the need arises. The Secretary's Emergency Response Team is expected to deploy to Florida in the next few days to help survey and establish the overall short-term and long-term medical and health needs of the areas damaged by Hurricane Frances.

In addition, four Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) units are being used to increase medical staffing at shelters for people who evacuated their homes in the storm's path. Members of the Lake County MRC, from Travares, Fla., are supporting special needs shelters around Orlando, and the West Palm and Lake County MRCs are working with their local Red Cross Chapters to assist residents staying in local shelters. In Augusta, Ga., the MRC volunteers of the East Central Health District are providing medical staff to treat people injured or displaced by the hurricane who arrive at the local shelters. And the Clark County (Nev.) MRC is traveling with their local Red Cross Chapter to Florida to assist those affected by the storm.

The MRC is the medical component of President Bush's USA Freedom Corps Initiative. After the outpouring of support in the wake of Sept. 11, President Bush called on citizens to volunteer in their own communities setting up Citizen Corps volunteer programs. To date there are more than 27,500 volunteers among 212 MRC units across the country.

HHS officials also are taking the following steps to respond to Hurricane Frances:

  • Maintaining contact with state health officials, hospitals, health centers and nursing homes to provide assistance with storm damage or emergency health needs.
  • Monitoring blood centers' supply and taking necessary steps to ensure the safety of the blood supply.
  • Working with state and local governments and the private sector to protect the food and water supplies. HHS is working to make sure contaminated food or crops do not make it into the food supply, as well as help ensure the quality of water supplies. HHS also is working where required to ensure public health in the wake of any flood or sewage backups.
  • Providing mental health services to communities, schools and individuals, as necessary.

After Hurricane Charley last month, Secretary Thompson visited storm-damaged areas and announced that HHS was making more than $11 million available to support Florida families. That money included $1 million to assist DeSoto County Hospital and Osceola Regional Hospital; a $200,000 emergency grant to help provide meals, shelter and services to elderly residents; and up to $10 million in emergency one-time grants to Head Start and Early Head Start centers. Secretary Thompson said that HHS is working to assess damage from Hurricane Frances before announcing new grants and said that any unused money from Hurricane Charley also will be available to victims of Hurricane Frances.

Secretary Thompson also urged Florida residents to exercise extreme caution as they return to their homes to begin cleaning up after the storm, including taking care not to eat spoiled food or drink unclean water; wearing protective clothes when cleaning up debris; operating generators and pumps outside to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning; and being sure not to overexert themselves while cleaning up.

"As we saw after Hurricane Charley, many of the injuries and deaths from hurricanes occur after the storm has long since passed through a community," Secretary Thompson said. "We are urging Florida families to be careful as they cleanup from this latest hurricane."

More information on personal safety in the wake of a hurricane is available at http://www.hhs.gov/disasters/hurricane.html.

###


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

Last Revised: September 7, 2004

HHS Home | Questions? | Contact HHS | Site Map | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Freedom of Information Act | Disclaimers

The White House | FirstGov