Monday, September 12, 2005

 

Friday, September 9: Old DeDeaux School with Shery and Jan



OK, let’s move along, or I'll never get caught up. You’ve got the picture of what I’m doing. It's not cardiology, mostly it's pretty basic but much needed primary care. Now I’ve mostly moved out of the hospital ED and its tent annex, and I’m doing more work out in the field. Lots of people have neither the ability nor the inclination to see a doctor unless their arm is falling off, so we have to do OUTREACH. People have been warned to get a tetanus shot, and they all know that lockjaw is one nasty disease they don’t want.

Today, September 9, I went back out to Old DeDeaux School, to the medical aid station set up by Mark Irby, RN, and neighbor Tammy. The photo above shows Tammy with her extremely loquacious daughter.

Here’s an example of the kind of cooperation we’re seeing all the time here: I need meds: I go to the FEMA pharmacy in the hospital. I tell them what I want; if they’ve got it, it’s mine. I go to the BRMC (Biloxi Regional Medical Center) ED, tell the nursing supervisor I want a nurse to go with me. I get two. They are volunteer nurses from Connecticut, Lee and Shery.

These nurses are part of a group of go-getters, disaster junkies, who live for this stuff. They run a clinic in Jamaica. Both Lee and Shery talk so fast I can’t understand them half the time, and I’m not from the South. They’re smart, cute, and hyperactive. Stimulants? I didn’t ask. Here they are at the hospital.

Oh, and to get out there we need gas, which is not yet available here in Biloxi, but the hospital has a special tank truck. Hospital workers get 5 gallons. Shery gets me a tankful--no questions asked. Here's the guy filling our SUV.

Here are some photos from our day in DeDeaux.
Say, this reminds me of an old joke my brother told me years ago. Seems a mutt meets two French poodles. One poodle says: “My name is Mimi, spelled M-I-M-I. The other poodle says “My name is Fifi, spelled F-I-F-I. The mutt says “And my name is Fido, spelled P-H-Y-D-E-A-U-X.”



Here I am filling out a medication prescription. Lots of folks lost all their pill bottles; others are here because they can't get to the pharmacy yet. Others have heard we're giving out free drugs. Surprisingly (I'm told), we get few requests for narcotics.

Below: Here I am with Shery. This is supposed to be a disaster. Is it right we should be having this good a time?














Left: a couple of local cuties.


Right: we get lots of supplies from visiting firemen: paramedics from Laramie, Wyoming.
Comments:
I love you, Dr. Goodheart!
 
Is it right we should be having this good a time? Yes, it is. It's justified.

Good for you. Thanks for pitching in. Best regards to your team.
 
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