February 04, 2010

HAITI RELIEF UPDATE: NO INFLUX OF MEDICAL EVACUEES AT THIS TIME, MA HOSPITALS URGED TO FOCUS ON LOCAL HAITIAN COMMUNITY

State and federal officials have indicated that Massachusetts is unlikely to receive patients via the federal government's evacuation initiative either at this time or in the near future, although some Bay State hospitals are already treating patients brought here through non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The letter attached below from Department of Public Health (DPH) Commissioner John Auerbach updates information about the transport of Haitian patients to the U.S. A small number of patients have also been sent to Massachusetts through NGOs such as churches or charitable groups. MassHealth has established a process for Medicaid coverage for evacuees and their attendees sent to Massachusetts by NGOs, and it is important to note that this process could be used for any evacuee that is sent to the state. Hospitals should refer to the MHA-DPH Hospital Preparedness Advisory sent on February 4th for details on this process.

In its letter, DPH reiterated that most Haitian evacuees needing medical treatment are being sent to Tampa and Atlanta due to ease of logistical planning. Many cities - including Boston, New York and Philadelphia - have been placed on alert by the National Disaster Medical Service (NDMS) but have not been activated. Until there is a specific NDMS request for hospitals in Boston to accept patient transfers from Haiti, the federal government will not "activate" Boston. To date, 45 Massachusetts hospitals have signed up to be a designated NDMS hospital to accept evacuated patients. MHA will update members on how other hospitals may become NDMS hospitals in the future; application criteria mandate that a hospital must be accredited, have more than 100 beds, and be located in a large U.S. metropolitan area.

Meanwhile, hospitals and other healthcare providers are being asked to focus their immediate, short-term efforts to provide earthquake relief for Haiti on supporting Haitian and Haitian-American members of their local communities, the DPH, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), and the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants (ORI) told providers.

Massachusetts has the third-largest Haitian population in the nation, behind only Florida and New York. Local community organizations and health centers have immediate needs for additional translators, mental and behavioral health workers, and support services for Haitian employees who cannot work while caring or searching for family members in Haiti.

Examples of ways that providers are assisting staff include establishing "Paid Time Off" banks, setting up support/counseling services for their employees who are directly affected by the Haitian disaster, and allowing clinical staff to take sabbatical or extended leaves of absence if they are planning to join a local or national group sending clinicians to different parts of Haiti.  Hospitals also have reported leaving their chaplain lines open for 24 hours, scheduling shifts differently, and other strategies to provide their communities relief.

For all organizations and individuals, the most immediate means of providing assistance remains monetary donations to organizations such as Partners in Health,the Red Cross  or the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund .  The Massachusetts 2-1-1 call center  is active and includes information about Haiti for Massachusetts residents that are looking for loved ones or ways in which they can provide assistance, including information about PIH, the Red Cross, and a wide variety of other organizations that are assisting in the humanitarian response effort. In addition, the Center for International Disaster Information  , a USAID-funded organization, is gathering information from those who are interested in donating time or supplies. Physicians, nurses, and other clinicians interested in providing care in Haiti are urged to contact PIH directly.

Other direct support to Haiti, such as medications, supplies, and medical equipment will be activated once the infrastructure in Haiti is established to receive them.  Your participation in the DPH inventory assessment is appreciated, but collection of material is premature at this time, unless it is directed at local need. Please see the Exportation of Controlled Prescription Medications in Support of a Medical Response to Haiti document , which contains information to consider regarding medication donations for the earthquake victims in Haiti. The attachment also contains a list of international organizations that are actively involved in the logistics of providing material and response personnel to assist earthquake victims.

DPH hosted yesterday’s conference call in conjunction with MHA, the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, and the Massachusetts Senior Care Association; it was the first in a series of regular updates to be held with hospitals, health centers, and other local organizations as the Haiti relief response unfolds.  Meanwhile, DPH, MEMA and ORI are coordinating their efforts at the federal level on a continuous basis.

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DPH Haiti Update letter 2-4-2010 (Adobe PDF File)