HME Community Responds in Katrina’s Wake

According to the Department of Homeland Security, federal
disaster declarations now cover 90,000 square miles of U.S. coastal
areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. In coordination with the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, the Federal Emergency
Management Agency is providing mass care to disaster victims at
shelters and medical units across the Gulf Coast with distribution
of needed food, water, medications and supplies.

The U.S. Coast Guard alone saved more than 9,500 lives, and more
than 35,000 evacuations have been made from New Orleans. The
American Red Cross, in coordination with the Southern Baptists, is
preparing to serve nearly 500,000 hot meals each day, and as of
this morning, the relief organization estimates that more than
142,000 evacuees are being housed just in its shelters.

While at present there are no estimates of the number of home
medical equipment providers in Alabama, Louisiana or
Mississippi–or their patients–who have been displaced by the
devastating storm, the HME community has responded with an
outpouring of support and offers of help.

The American Association for Homecare reports that it has been
in contact with the Red Cross, CMS, FEMA, state associations and
other agencies to coordinate assistance, and has established a
Hurricane Katrina Information Center on its Web site at www.aahomecare.org. The site
includes details about home care relief efforts, a special link to
the Red Cross for home care donations, CMS and Palmetto GBA
bulletins on administrative issues and other information about the
impact of Katrina on the home care community.

The VGM Group, www.vgm.com, and
The Med Group, www.medgroup.com, also have posted
Katrina-related information and are offering assistance and support
to affected providers.

On Thursday, VGM distributed nationwide requests for donations
of HME and supplies for the benefit of hurricane victims. The
buying group is offering an array of member support services
including an HME hotline with information on assistance for HME
patients involved in hurricane evacuations; help for displaced
oxygen patients and emergency HME medical equipment needs; CMS’
rules about replacing Medicare equipment damaged or lost in the
hurricane or flood; insurance claims for inventory losses, business
interruption and property damage losses; and tips from
manufacturers about putting select types of equipment back in
service after water damage.

The Med Group has posted a special number to call for donation
of wheelchairs to be sent to the Houston Astrodome, along with
information about other requested supplies, information from CMS
and a list of relief and local resources.

“We appreciate the offers of help, but because of the lack of
communication it is difficult to determine what is needed and where
to send it,” said Mike Hamilton, executive director of the Alabama
Durable Medical Equipment Association (ADMEA). “We don’t have a
clue about how many providers have been knocked out. There are a
bunch of businesses [in the area], and we don’t know whether or
where the owners have evacuated, much less their customers.”

In Louisiana, it is some help that power was restored in parts
of Baton Rouge this morning, according to Wanda Ellis, a member of
the Medical Equipment Suppliers Association (MESA) board, covering
Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. “There hasn’t been a
really organized effort because we’ve been without power for a
week,” Ellis said, adding that “everyone is pitching in to help but
it’s just very random.

“We are trying to touch base with as many providers as we can so
that we can organize a relief effort,” she continued. “We are
getting calls from people saying, ‘My provider is flooded. How do I
get oxygen?’ It’s been hectic trying to respond because we don’t
know who is up and operating.

“If any providers want to call in and let us know [the
situation], we are developing a list of who’s available and who’s
not so that we can give people the list.”

For the time being, both Hamilton and Ellis advise any members
of the home care community who would like to volunteer services,
personnel or equipment to contact FEMA or the Red Cross. “There are
gasoline shortages and problems with delivery,” Hamilton said, “and
there has to be warehousing and storage available” since equipment
and supplies cannot be sent directly to the stricken areas. He said
even some providers in the region whose businesses were spared are
having to triage deliveries because they do not have enough gas to
make normal runs.

Providers also can contact AAHomecare by e-mail at [email protected] to donate
equipment or services. The association says it will attempt to
match any offers with local relief efforts or home care
organizations in affected areas.

And past the immediate effort, Hamilton reminded, “What we will
need later is some way to help [the hurricane’s victims] when they
get into semi-permanent residences somewhere. We can’t keep the
Astrodome filled with people forever.”