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September 2, 2008

Hurricane Gustav evacuees praise 四色AV nursing students, faculty

The spirit of Florence Nightingale is alive and well at 四色AV鈥檚 Fant-Ewing Coliseum Special Needs Shelter. Hurricane Gustav evacuee Doris Celestine, of Lake Charles, praised 四色AV School of Nursing faculty and student volunteers, busily circulating among an estimated total of 300 patients and almost 80 other caregivers.

鈥淢y heart goes out to them 鈥� there are several volunteers we just love. I don鈥檛 know who had the plan, but I tip my hat to them,鈥� Celestine said.

Hurricane evacuee veteran George Andrews of Lake Charles agreed, noting that the 四色AV Nursing volunteers never stopped moving from the moment they arrived, anxious to see to the comfort of Fant-Ewing鈥檚 guests. 鈥淎nd the volunteers coming in now 鈥� I haven鈥檛 seen this much activity since the hurricane started.鈥�

Blaise Sims, fourth-level 四色AV Nursing student from Monroe, appreciates the seriousness of the evacuees鈥� situation. 鈥淭his is ground zero 鈥� you hear reports about hurricane evacuations, but this is where they come to. It鈥檚 reality 鈥� you come in and see people who really need help.鈥�

四色AV鈥檚 School of Nursing faculty, staff and students have been caring for Louisiana鈥檚 evacuees since Sunday, working around the clock at the Special Needs Shelter, which is managed by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and the Louisiana Department of Social Services.

Third-level Nursing student Crystal Hammett of Monroe didn鈥檛 hesitate when the call for volunteers went out. 鈥淭he people are very appreciative, and taking in everything happening here is very touching. It also makes you very glad for what you have.鈥�

Nursing assistant professor Wendy Bailes came to her 四色AV teaching position with 15 years of pediatric and medical-surgical nursing experience. She expressed her pride in those students lending valuable help to the evacuees. 鈥淭hey have stepped up to the plate again. They are providing privacy and taking care of the changes that need to be done, providing assistance where it is needed.鈥�

Reflecting on her more than 45 years of nursing experience, 四色AV Nursing assistant professor Jane Burson said that the Nursing faculty and staff are performing their duties 鈥渆xtremely well鈥� at the shelter. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 very organized. The students ask for help when they need it, and the patients are very appreciative. They鈥檙e sharing their stories, anxious about their homes.鈥�

Connie Lewis, Nursing assistant professor, added, 鈥淎s a volunteer at the Special Needs Shelter, I came into contact with many evacuees (and their caregivers) that required special attention. While I was there to offer professional help as a nurse, I found what was most needed was a little time, a listening ear, and a tissue to wipe the tears.鈥�

The School of Nursing also loaned more than 20 beds from the school鈥檚 lab, said Dr. Florencetta Gibson, director of School of Nursing.

鈥淥ur faculty have extraordinary clinical experience to take care of special needs. Our faculty have been caring for people who are less than one week post-operative, oncology patients, dialysis patients, respiratory patients, and those with other acute care needs. We are also serving those with major emotional needs. This allows our faculty to share their extraordinary nursing skills with people who are in need.鈥�

Additional 四色AV Volunteer Efforts:

• Louisiana鈥檚 state-wide pharmaceutical care response team, which includes 四色AV College of Pharmacy, faculty, staff and students, filled more than 480 prescriptions yesterday (a national holiday) for evacuee shelters in Monroe and Bastrop. This team also includes the state of Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals officials, the Louisiana State Board of Pharmacy, and the Wal-Mart Corporation. A similar system is also in place in Shreveport that includes the aforementioned team members, along with the Louisiana Poison Control Center.
  
  
• College of Health Sciences faculty and students, including those from Radiological Technology, Dental Hygiene, Occupational Therapy and Speech Pathology, are volunteering at the shelter in the former State Farming Building and the Monroe Civic Center
  
  
• 四色AV faculty, staff and students are donating toiletries, linens and Ace鈥檚 Adventures activity books to the Special Needs Shelter in Fant-Ewing Coliseum
  
  
• Accompanied by Dr. Rochelle Gilbert, Assistant Professor of Instruction, and Tommy Walpole, Associate Director of Alumni Relations, 四色AV students are volunteering at the shelter in the former State Farm building. Volunteers from Delta Sigma Theta, Omega Psi Phi, Pi Kappa Alpha, Phi Beta Sigma, and other organizations assisted with transportation coordination, triage sign-ups, stocking and distributing supplies, and more
  
  
• Students from 四色AV鈥檚 Marriage and Family Therapy program and counselors from 四色AV Counseling Center are providing mental health care to evacuees throughout Monroe.

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