St. John's helps Hurricane Katrina survivors

St. John’s Life Line, piloted by Phil Rogers (pictured at far right), flew to Louisiana to pick up Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her mother Dee Dee and brought them back to the Ozarks to start a new life in Aurora. The two met Janet Jordan, M.D. (pictured at far left) at a special-needs shelter while Jordan assisted with hurricane relief efforts.

The storm is over, but the needs of those affected by Hurricane Katrina are overwhelming.

St. John’s and its parent organization, the Sisters of Mercy Health System, have lent a helping hand to Katrina’s victims in a variety of ways.

As of mid-October, St. John’s co-workers had contributed $43,517 to a hurricane relief fund organized by Mercy. Mercy pledged to match employee donations, dollar for dollar, up to a total of $250,000.

Contributions are being used to support a variety of relief efforts, including Mercy ministries in the New Orleans and Mississippi Gulf Coast areas. The activities of these ministries have currently been suspended, but will be operating again as soon as possible.

In response to a request for immediate aid, Mercy has already provided supplies for several Coastal Family Health Center clinics in Mississippi destroyed by the hurricane. Coastal Family Health Center employees are undergoing clean-up efforts in four clinics to recover records and evaluate the potential for rebuilding.

According to Sister Mary Cabrini, a New Orleans native serving as St. John’s mission director at St. John’s Hospital-Lebanon, a few Sisters of Mercy have already returned to devastated areas.
“It’s important that the people of the area see the Sisters they know serving that area,” she said.
These Sisters, who have long provided ministry, are a symbol of hope in this time of need, she said.
As of Sept. 12, St. John's pharmacies had filled prescriptions, free of charge, for 67 patients, totaling 197 prescriptions at a cost of nearly $10,000, according to Rob Shockley, St. John’s retail pharmacy coordinator.

"Our co-workers are so giving, there’s no end to their compassionate nature and their willingness to serve others."         - Ann Meuser         St. John’s Mission Services VP

Vickie Keeney, St. John’s Mission Services director, said survivors are also looking to St. John’s for medical supplies, urgent care or employment opportunities.

“We had a family who had to stop here on their way to New York because they needed medical supplies for their son. He is 9 years old and is permanently on a feeding tube. The transportation issues leaving that area were unbelievable – families running out of fuel and 5-mile lines to get gas. It was just horrible,” Keeney said.

St. John’s Medical Supply donated the supplies the family needed and Keeney delivered them personally to their motel room.
“They had no vehicle, a son with special needs and no idea where they were going to be in a week. And there are people like this all over the country,” Keeney said.

Patients treated at St. John’s were first screened at Red Cross relief centers and given medical referrals as needed. Many St. John’s nurses staffed the Red Cross Hurricane Relief Center in Springfield.

St. John’s Clinic has seen about a dozen patients and has provided a variety of specialty referrals.
St. John’s Clinic – Family Practice – Smith-Glynn-Callaway physician Sean Tarsney, M.D. has treated a few of these patients.

“They all have been very appreciative,” he said. “Most are staying with family in the area. They had been through the Red Cross and had urgent needs evaluated. I have just been dealing with their chronic problems.”

In addition to providing medical assistance, St. John’s co-workers have stepped forward to help in any way they can. Below is a breakdown of how the health system has assisted with relief efforst.

St. John’s Hospital

On unit 7C at St. John’s Hospital, St. John’s co-workers responded to a memo posted on the bulletin board asking for help for a Biloxi, Miss., family in need of furniture and other household items after they fled the hurricane.

Jodie Snider, R.N., posted the memo after her parents, Doyle and Linda Collins, agreed to donate a rental home they owned for five months.
“They called the News-Leader and asked if anyone knew of a family in need of housing in Springfield,” Snider said. “A house is one thing, but this family needed a home."

About a dozen St. John’s co-workers from Snider’s unit and elsewhere provided the Biloxi family with everything from furniture to toiletries. When a story about the effort ran on KOLR-10, sympathetic viewers called in to donate the remaining needed items: a washer and dryer and a television.

“When you do for others, it just feels good,” said Glenda Ford, St. John’s Environmental Services technician.

St. John’s West Region

St. John’s Clinic – Monett served as a collection point for hygiene kit donations for Springfield-based Convoy of Hope. Staff from St. John’s clinics in Aurora and Mount Vernon and St. John’s hospitals in Aurora and Cassville assisted with the relief efforts.

“If we can help just a few people, it’s worth it,” said Office Manager Kathy Lowry. “As of Sept. 10, we had enough hygiene packs for 200 people. I’m thrilled.”

St. John’s Consolidated Services Center in Springfield sent a truck to Monett for the supplies, which were brought to Springfield and delivered to Convoy of Hope before its trucks left for the Gulf Coast.

St. John’s Clinic Business Office

St. John’s Clinic Business Office co-workers collected non-perishables, clothing and personal items Sept. 6-8 for The Kitchen’s Fresh Start program, which is assisting hurricane evacuees who are starting over in the Ozarks.

“Our break room was overflowing. Everyone participated and the items were most generous,” said Marti Hoffman, CBO manager.

St. John’s sent a large truck to pick everything up and deliver the load to The Kitchen. The next day, another van load was delivered.

“They were very thrilled to receive the donations,” Hoffman said.

St. John’s Hospital Business Office and St. John’s Clinic-Cardiology

St. John’s Hospital Business Office Cash Accounting Manager Jana Hackett and her husband Richard felt they needed to do something right away for their family and friends in New Orleans. Jana and Richard grew up in New Orleans and were devastated to hear about damage and displacement of their friends, whom they couldn’t reach after the storm.

“We finally got ahold of one friend because she took her laptop with her that had wireless Internet service,” Hackett said.

When Hackett heard first-hand what the needs were, she put the word out in the office. The response was overwhelming. About 100 co-workers from the business office and 20 from St. John’s Clinic – Cardiology contributed cash, household supplies, toiletries, children’s clothing and other necessities.

“The donations filled a 20-seat van. And when my husband and father-in-law unloaded it, it filled two rooms,” she said.

Richard and his father, retired St. John’s neurologist Earl Hackett, M.D., delivered the items to New Orleans personally. One donation recipient wrote the Hacketts to thank them for their generosity.

“Today, we took the van to my husband's office and began unloading your donations,” said hurricane survivor PJ Wetta. “I am overwhelmed by your generosity, and the wonderful card that you all signed and sent. While Katrina brought out the worst conceivable behavior in some people, it has certainly brought out the best in others ... it has brought out the best in you.”

St. John’s Fitness Centers

Members from St. John’s Fitness Centers wanted to do something special to help with hurricane relief efforts. Fitness center co-worker June Middleton came up with the idea to collect dog and cat food for the Southwest Missouri Humane Society, which took in as many as 75 cats and dogs displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

MO-1 DMAT

St. John’s Emergency Medicine physician Janet Jordan, M.D. is the chief medical officer of Ozark Regional MO-1 DMAT, which was activated to the Gulf Coast region two days after the hurricane hit.
St. John’s and CoxHealth teamed to form the federally funded regional disaster response team in October 2003. Members of the team include volunteer health care professionals and other community members.

Working under the direction of FEMA, Jordan and her team joined DMATs from Ohio and Iowa. She is the only physician on the 31-person team.

“It’s just unbelievable. I have never experienced anything like it and I’ve been on disaster teams seeing devastation, like the Pierce City tornado. But this is unimaginable,” Jordan said.

Jordan said the needs of the people affected by the hurricane are overwhelming, but there is no end to their gratitude.
She spoke of a family whose father has a broken neck and of a “delightful little 14-year-old girl named Gypsy,” who has muscular dystrophy, seizures and acute leukemia. Jordan is on a one-woman mission to get Gypsy a new scooter.

“She is no longer able to get around because she lost her scooter,” Jordan said. “I’m hoping we can raise the $5,000 needed to get her a new one.”

St. John’s Life Line flew to Louisiana to pick up Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her mother Dee Dee and brought them back to the Ozarks to start a new life in Aurora. St. John’s Hospital – Aurora provided housing and household items for the family.

St. John’s Emergency Medical Services

When a group from Tulane University approached St. John’s Director of Emergency Medical Services Bob Patterson about providing medical supplies, he didn’t hesitate. St. John’s donated the scrubs, sutures and bandages to help fill a trailer parked on the Battlefield Mall parking lot. The Tulane students were headed to Bogalusa Medical Center in Louisiana.

Countless other St. John’s co-workers have volunteered their time and skills caring for those on the Gulf Coast as part of federal teams or with churches and other organizations sponsoring mission trips.