Tara Kuipers watched in frustration.
The certified mental health counselor knew she could help people affected by Hurricane Katrina, but was told no because she wasn’t trained in disaster mental health counseling.
Then, because of the dire need for counselors, the requirement was waived and Kuipers signed on to help.
The American Red Cross called Tuesday to ask if she could deploy for two weeks to provide counseling to first responders and others working with victims. She is scheduled to leave Lincoln at 7 a.m. today (Thursday) and fly to Montgomery, Ala., where she most likely will spend one week in a shelter for people affected by the hurricane.
“From there, I wish I knew more,” said Kuipers, coordinator of student services, UNMC College of Nursing, Lincoln Division. She said she would probably be housed in the shelter as well. She said after one week, she may be sent near Mobile, Ala., or another area in the Gulf.
When Kuipers found out the Red Cross waived the requirement to be certified in disaster mental health counseling she knew she had to go. “I couldn’t say no,” she said.
“Two weeks is a minimum sacrifice to make compared to what these people have lost in their life,” Kuipers said.
Kuipers was headed home to Beatrice Wednesday morning to pack. She compared the packing she would have to do to packing for a backpacking trip, which she and her husband do a lot.
“I’ve been advised to take a first aid kit, a lot of bug spray and sunscreen,” she said.
John Spurzem, M.D., medical director at Conerly Hospital in Jackson, Miss., sent the following e-mail to UNMC Today on Sept. 2. Dr. Spurzem is a former professor in UNMC’s Department of Internal Medicine, section of pulmonary and critical care.
I recently moved from UNMC to UMMC (University of Mississippi Medical Center) in Jackson, Miss. The city of Jackson escaped the severest winds of Hurricane Katrina. However, many residential areas of the city still do not have electricity. Some buildings suffered damage from falling trees. In some ways the situation reminds me of the prolonged power outages after the severe snowstorm in Omaha in October of 1997.
The medical situation in Jackson is fairly stable at this point. All of the hospitals have available inpatient beds. The numbers of patients arriving from the south of Jackson are being offset by the decrease in the usual business of the hospital. Most regular outpatient clinic activities or elective procedures are on hold. We currently have enough supplies; shipments from the usual suppliers have been coming from Memphis. We do not have shortages of personnel, supplies, etc. Most of the staff are working their usual shifts.
Calvin Spellmon, a Dillard student who worked in the lab of Terry Hexum, Ph.D., professor in UNMC’s Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, during the summer of 2003.
I am doing fine considering. This catastrophe is the worst thing that has happened in my lifetime, and worse, it is such a personal matter. Many of my close friends have lost everything and its hard watching them suffer helplessly. To make matters worse, I have an aunt that we still have not been able to get in contact with. We are praying that she
is well and waiting to hear from her.
As another issue, Dillard was 8 feet under water last I heard, therefore, no official transcript, no medical school board to write my letter, no medical school, unless they make some type of provisions. AMCAS and TMDSAS have said they would push the deadlines back for these until late October, however, it will be more than a year, I assume, before Dilard is functional. Other than that I am doing good. I am also starting a donation drive here at the lab. The people are being very generous
with their donations and that is always heart-warming.