A Letter from Louisiana

The following letter comes from OSU graduate, Greg Gray, D.O., who is serving as a senior medical officer in Louisiana. Dr. Gray, also serves as Doctor on Duty during the Special Olympics summer games on the OSU-Stillwater campus. 

This is just to update everyone on how we are doing. 

This is our 10th day of deployment.  We are still in Thibodaux, LA at the Nicholls State University's College of Nursing.  We are working as the urgent care / mini ER for the TMOSA.  A TMOSA is a Temporary Medical Operations Staging Area.  They have set up a special needs shelter for patients that don't need a hospital but would if basic care is not given.  They are also a staging area for dialysis.  They house here and are shipped to regional centers from here M-F.

We were seeing anywhere from 60-175 patients a day.  It has slowed down.  We are now seeing bounce backs from other city's,  i.e., nursing homes calling ambulances and dumping some patients on us.  So far we have been able to find rooms, beds, or cots for them.  This area will be saturated soon.  We have switched to an immunization center and medical refill depot. 

The medical we do see many times need to go to the Emergency Department locally for work up.  We are seeing respiratory problems.  A COPD patient I sent to the hospital last night went into SVT (rapid heart rate) requiring special drugs.  Another was a chest pain.  At the same time on the night shift, we received 12 ambulances all at once in a convoy.  They had closed a shelter near New Orleans.  These patients were all special needs.... i.e., Tracheotomy, COPD's, nursing home type patients.

We are starting to see some diarrhea.  We saw and quarantined one chicken pox.  All these people that are the refugee's ( if they don't want to go back ) or displaced residents ( if they do want to go back ) are the real hero's.  They are all so glad for ANY help.  They all love a smile and a handshake.  Most want a hug.  They need to know that they are not alone and that they will not be forgotten in two or three weeks.

We all still need your prayers.

We are all tired.  I guess my triathlon may be on hold.  I'll just be glad to sleep in my own bed and use soft toilet paper.  :)     

Greg "Radar" Gray, DO, FACEP
Senior Medical Officer
FEMA/NDMS/DMAT, OK-1
Department of Homeland Security

 

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