In the wake of the tragic earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, had a message for the UNMC community.
“UNMC expresses our most sincere thoughts and condolences to any of our students, staff and faculty who may have lost loved ones, family members or friends, as well as all others who have been impacted by the recent earthquake and aftershocks,” Dr. Gold said. “We understand that during this time many within our community may experience stress, anxiety and even depression. Our thoughts are with all affected, and we want to remind everyone in the med center family of the many services available for anyone experiencing any of these symptoms now and into the future.”
The following resources are available:
- Faculty and staff can call 402-330-0960 or visit the Arbor Family Counseling website.
- House officers can call 402-689-1033 or visit the House Officer Assistance Program website.
- Students can call 402-559-7276 or Counseling and Psychological Services website.
Relief efforts
In addition, winter coats, clothes and other essential items are being collected as part of a relief mission to send to those impacted by the Feb. 6 earthquakes.
This effort is being coordinated at UNMC by Sehr Haroon, MD, assistant professor in the division of hospital medicine in the UNMC College of Medicine, who founded the nonprofit SEHR (Self-Empowered Humanitarians for Relief) Mission in 2015. The non-profit is not affiliated with the University of Nebraska.
See a list of national organizations helping with relief efforts.
Dr. Haroon and Nurlan Aliyev, MD, also an assistant professor in the division of hospital medicine in the College of Medicine, are working directly with the Turkish embassy and government organizations on the ground, assessing logistics for supply delivery.
“My multitalented, Turkish-speaking colleague Dr. Aliyev stepped up, coordinating logistics of shipping 158,000 mercy meals from Orphan Grain Train to Turkey for distribution via the Turkish Embassy,” Dr. Haroon said. “By the grace of God, he received a message from the Turkish ambassador granting facilitation of a plane of humanitarian aid to land in Adana for aid distribution. The situation is fluid.”
All aid, she said, will be distributed in collaboration with the Turkish embassy in the United States and through the Ministry of Interior Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) in Turkey.
“The first 36 hours of this catastrophe, I was shell-shocked,” Dr. Haroon said. “I felt helpless witnessing media images of innocent children alive yet pinned under concrete slabs. I imagined how cold they must be, how hungry, how scared. A call from an old friend and fellow humanitarian pulled me from my paralysis and reminded me what we are capable of doing together.”
Anyone interested in helping can find more information, including collection sites and needed items, on the SEHR Mission Facebook page. Dr. Haroon is hoping to take an initial shipment of items in a few weeks.