8/29/07

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Today marks the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

As we return to New Orleans in a few short weeks for the Clinical Congress, it is with a vivid awareness of the ongoing impact of this epic storm. Amidst its widespread devastation, Katrina’s wrath destroyed two hospitals and 13 community medical clinics in the Crescent City. As the citizens of New Orleans return to rebuild, the remaining medical facilities are overburdened. I’ve heard from many of you inquiring what we might do to help our neighbors in this historic and wonderfully complex city during our visit in October.

With this in mind, I’d like to tell you about a special project that has been in the works for the past few months. At Clinical Congress this year, the ACS will undertake Project New Orleans – a volunteerism effort designed to contribute to the rebuilding of New Orleans’ medical infrastructure. The New Orleans Chapter of Habitat for Humanity has generously agreed to partner with us in an effort to restore a “medical home” for the citizens of the Bywater neighborhood of the 9th Ward.

In this neighborhood, medical care for the uninsured is currently administered at a Daughters of Charity Clinic occupying borrowed space within the decommissioned and recently repurposed St. Cecilia’s Church. Currently operating in a small corridor of the former rectory, the clinic space cannot keep up with the medical demands of the burgeoning neighborhood. Recently, the City approved a permanent medical facility in the adjacent abandoned school, and the Daughters of Charity have requested our assistance with the first phase of reclaiming this space for an expanded clinic.

Yesterday, I returned from a visit to the project site with the local Directors of Habitat for Humanity and the Daughters of Charity Clinics. The school sustained substantial water damage and will need to be gutted to allow its conversion to a medical clinic. A thorough assessment of the facility confirmed it to be an appropriate undertaking for ACS Project New Orleans volunteers. Participation in this project will be open to anyone over the age of 18 in attendance at the Clinical Congress, including family members. We will update you if opportunities become available for younger volunteers.

Recognizing that the physical aspects of such a project may not appeal to everyone, Project New Orleans includes other ways to contribute. In order to accomplish this expansion, the new clinic will naturally require additional equipment and supplies. We have been provided with an overview of their equipment needs, and a gift registry is being constructed that will allow donations to be directed towards needed equipment, as well as to the St. Cecilia’s Clinic or Habitat for Humanity.

This dedicated Web site will be online shortly, and notice of its availability will be sent via e-mail, NewsScope, and the Operation Giving Back Web site. In the meantime, should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line at kcasey@facs.org.

The humanitarian spirit runs deep in the surgical community, and on behalf of the College and its staff, I thank you all for your inquiries and interest in helping the citizens of New Orleans. I look forward to this opportunity to serve the citizens of New Orleans in such esteemed company.

Respectfully,
Kathleen M. Casey, MD, FACS
Director, Operation Giving Back