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DJP 9-22-2005 Update * Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
and communication
Communication is essential in a time of crisis. To hear the repeated
stories of inability to communicate by phone, land-line or cell, is
frustrating. Lives are at stake. Those who want to help can't help if they
can't communicate with you.
Good risk management mandates anticipating what could go wrong and be
prepared with an effective alternative to continue to communicate.
Here is what I urge everyone in leadership positions in the Hurricane
Katrina and Hurricane Rita areas to do to enhance communications.
Get a Blackberry phone that has phone, email and walkie-talkie capability.
(Note: you also get a Blackberry email address that works immediately. In
addition, you can have your regular email address also bounce to the
Blackberry.)
Nextel Blackberry is the ideal example of such a device. I am not an agent
for Nextel or Blackberry and I have no stock in these companies.
My wife Robin and I have remained in touch throughout Katrina by doing
Blackberry email via Cingular. We also have Motorola Talkabout
walkie-talkies but a Blackberry from Nextel combines these functions and the
walkie-talkie function extends throughout the USA.
I have explained my goals to enhance communication and help determine where
volunteers are needed. See previous discussion at
www.intrepidresources.com and
always check the Louisiana State Medical Society web site for updates. Go
to www.lsms.org
Once I determined the need for communication devices that would work when
the phones did not, I then looked for a source of donations for such
devices.
My first and only call was to Dr. Richard Anderson, Chair and CEO of The
Doctors Company, in NAPA, California. He immediately asked what I needed
and sent me 10 Nextel Blackberries with auto cigarette chargers for those
who did not have electricity but did have a working car. I distributed
those 10 and got another 10. I will finish distributing those and another
10 are on the way.
So far, I have given 7 to Dr. Jim Aiken who is doing great work in New
Orleans. Also, I gave one to Dr. Brobson Lutz who is running the French
Quarter Medical Clinic in Exile on Dumaine Street in the French Quarter.
Dr. Lutz took me on medical rounds 2 days ago and we visited his patients in
the French Quarter. Fascinating stories and memorable photos of the
conditions in New Orleans. Dr. Lutz was featured on the front page of the
Wall Street Journal last Friday in a great story by Christopher Cooper of
the WSJ.
Yesterday, I met with federal officials, thanks to Dr. Eliot Sorel of the DC
Medical Society who has an outstanding son working with the government. His
son Marc arranged the meeting. The federal folks sent out a memo with my
contact info so that anyone who needs volunteers can alert me and I will
pass it on to you and the LSMS. Also copying AMA on my communication
efforts so that we are all in the information loop.
Today I met with Dave Tarver, EVP of the Louisiana State Medical Society,
and distributed the Blackberry device to him and left one for Dr. Jay Busby,
president of LSMS and one for Dr. Russell Klein, Speaker of the LSMS HOD.
They are all set up and programmed with each other's numbers. Tomorrow, I
meet with New Orleans Parish Coroner, Dr. Frank Minyard, who will get 3 of
the Blackberries and he will give me a tour of his temporary morgue
facilities in Baton Rouge.
I already distributed one of the Blackberries to Jefferson Parish Coroner,
Dr. Robert Treuting, and I now have one for his administrator, Roy Malbrough.
The remaining ones are to be given to other leaders in Medicine.
As one who was born and raised in the Irish Channel in New Orleans, it was
very sad to see this unique city in such a condition.
When the blame and shame game is over, I hope our city, state, and federal
officials will look for the second story, that is, the need to fix the
systems that enhanced the grief after this catastrophic hurricane. However,
right now we need to continue to communicate and help those in need. Many
stories of heros are emerging and this is not unusual for Americans. I am
privileged to know some of the heros. Our surgical group is very proud of
our partner Jan McClanahan, who stayed behind at Methodist Hospital in New
Orleans East and operated under flashlight visualization without power. He
stayed until the last helicopter evacuated the last of the patients and
medical personnel at Methodist. The medical folks continued to manually
ventilate the patients on respirators when the power went out at the
hospital.
LAGNIAPPE:
On a personal note, our home damage gets worse every time it rains. Despite
tenting the damaged roof, the rain came in after the last thunderstorm and
another ceiling collapsed, bringing the total to 6 collapsed ceilings with
all of mess that ensues with the debris and rain.
Robin and Tabasco remain well. My other family members sustained various
property damage, but there are well. Oldest daughter Mary Ellen had her
home in Slidell destroyed. By the way, she has worked for many years as an
emergency room nurse at Charity and for the last two years has worked in
quality and safety. Her job no longer exists because Charity is closed as a
result of the Hurricane Katrina. Anyone in the New Orleans area or Baton
Rouge area who is interested in talking with her about a job, please let me
know.
Here is her latest note to me. Although she emphasizes the charity system,
I am sure she would welcome other opportunities. She is a great nurse, a
detailed researcher, and a saintly spirit.
Dad,
I am looking for a job in the state charity system either close to Slidell
or close to Metairie.
I would like to work in Quality management. I work with and can do all
audits for the national Hospital Quality measures which is sent to Joint
commission for the hospitals. I use to audit charts for AMI, Pneumonia,
Pregnancy related and Heart failure. I also worked with Qnet Quest CMS
website and am familiar with the Focus sets that are sent to Medicare. I am
familiar with the vendor Maryland Hospital that we used and most of the LSU
hospitals used for data entry. I would be an asset to any Quality Management
Department. I am able to assist with any Performance Improvement that is
needed. I audited approx 25 to 30 charts for AMI. I assisted with 45 to 50
charts per month for Pneumonia and 200 baby wts for the Pregnancy related
focus set. I also am familiar with and presented the graphs and data for
these focus sets to the Hospital center Directors like Dr Charles Sanders to
show how our hospital was doing and what we were doing for improvement. I am
able to attend meetings and present the data and really do any PI that is
needed. Thanks, dad. Love mep
Well, that is something that Dads do: advocate for their kids.
Finally, email never fails unless server goes down. With 3 different
emails, one is always up. For those of you who only have one server for
your web site, give strong consideration to a mirror site in another
location. Just like electronic data, always back up and keep back up in
another location. If you live in New Orleans, keep the backup where the
land is above sea level!
Stay well.
Donald
Donald J. Palmisano, MD, JD
DJP@intrepidresources.com
Donald.Palmisano@ama-assn.org
312-560-0180 Cell Phone Cingular Blackberry
504-455-5895 Intrepid Resources (converted to cell phone)
707-310-7469 Cell Phone Nextel Blackberry with walkie-talkie "Direct
Connect"
Nextel Direct Connect number: 117*28494*2
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