[school-discuss] Medical Supplies for Katrina Survivors Needed.

[Phil Carinhas <pac@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

For Immediate Release
Tue Sep  6 09:46:28 CDT 2005
** Please distribute to all national LUGS possible. **
This is being released to select Texas LUGS and lists first.


   Medicine and supplies needed in Texas and Louisiana.
   -----------------------------------------------------

  If you have been waiting and wondering how to help out Katrina
 victims, now is a good time to act.

  One of my sisters in Covington Louisiana is a doctor working with the
local emergency operations centers of the area. They are in need of 
lots of supplies and medicines. The same is true for many of our Texas
clinics that are treating Katrina survivors.  
They need your help. I'll tell you exactly how below.

 Covington, Slidell, Mandeville, Abita Springs, and Pearl River are across
the northern shores of lake Pontchtrain.  The situation in St. Tammany
parish is still difficult. There are many refugees from other areas that
have lost everything. All they have is the cloths on their back, if even
that. Most homes have no electricity, and won't for several weeks due to heavy
pole damage.

   *  Some have asked: Why not just go through the Red Cross? They answer
   is simple: They are up to their necks in the major crisis and relief centers.
   They simply can't be everywhere and can't supply every clinic and Emergency
   Operations Center (EOC) with everything they need right now. Clinics
   and hospitals are low on supplies and has limited access to deliveries.
   We are hearing from multiple sources that the Red Cross shelters are 
   sending people away to other clinics and hospitals: they just can't take
   any more patients given the immense need.
   * Also, the large bureaucratic organizations can't digest and distribute
    as efficiently as smaller organizations.

 Although we we asked our local communities in Austin and Fredericksburg Tx
for help, and got a generous response, our efforts only came up with a few
thousand dollars of medicines. We need to expand our petition to the state
and national level to get the kind of quantities that will really make
an impact over the next few months. The organization below has demomstrated
that they can get the medicines in and out quickly and efficiently.

  Medicines
  ---------

  One of the huge needs is medicine. We need to get as much perscription
  and non-perscription medicines as possible. The list includes the
  following:

 * Antiboitocs: Especially for Children
 * Heart Meds
 * Blood Pressure Meds
 * Pulmonary Meds
 * Alergy Meds
 * Phsychiatric Meds
 * Schitzophrenia Meds
 * G.I. Meds
 * Arthritis Meds
 * Migrane Meds
 * Fungal Creams, & Sprays
 * Bandages
 * Diabetic Medications

  We are specifically hopeing the following organizations can donate their
 samples and especially expiring meds. Expiring meds often are still effective
 and get routinely discarded and replaces. Often pharmaceutical reps stock clinics
 with these meds on routine basis. If you are one of the following types of 
 organizations that can donate, please let us know at the link below.

 * Clinics
 * Hospitals
 * Private medical practices
 * Nursing Homes
 * Pharmaceutical Company
 * Other type of clinic

 Cash
 ----
   We need cash to buy supplies that don't transport well, like fuel for generators,
 ice, foods, and clothes. That link above will tell you how to donate by
 check. It's really going to help people directly and quickly.


  TO HELP:
  =========
  Here is the link to The Texas Association of Community Health Centers who
 will distribute the medicines to our Texas and Louisiana clinics. I met some
 of their folks while we were buying meds at Costco here in Austin and they 
 know their stuff and were helpful to us in our initial purchases.
 They also have an updated list of medicines that are needed at our Texas
 clinics. Click on the link at the top of:

 http://www.tachc.org/

  Please distribute this to other LUGS or medical groups in the United States as
we are not on every LUG. We need to get these supplies to the people on the
ground. If possible, please send this annoucement to your local radio station's Public
Service Announcement person via email or otherwise.

Thank you again,

-Phil Carinhas
--
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 | Dr. Philip A. Carinhas       | pac(at)fortuitous.com   |
 | Fortuitous Technologies Inc. | http://fortuitous.com   |
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