Skip to content

Possibility of Hurricane Katrina Deployment

I’m a Lieutenant in the Commissioned Corps of the US Public Health Service. There is something called the CCRF which used to be a volunteer thing for officers to go assist with disaster relief. Recently it was mandated that all officers are required to meet deployment readiness standards. I just completed mine today (the physical fitness part has been holding me up for months.)
USPHS officers have been helping out in the recent hurricanes, but all of them had signed up to go. Well, for what looks like it could be the biggest natural disaster in recent history, the USPHS has put all officers on alert that they could be deployed for Katrina. The personnel list doesn’t include optometry (yes, we do have our own deployment category), so I’m not sure how likely it is I’ll have to go. However, optometry is my primary deployment role. I could potentially be called up for some other secondary role.
I’ll let you all know. If called up, I promise to blog about it provided an internet connection and a moment of free time are available.

Posted in General.

4 comments

By David Langford – August 28, 2005

4 Responses

Stay in touch with the conversation, subscribe to the RSS feed for comments on this post.

  1. sandy maxson says

    Assisting with the disaster relief would be an experience to remember. Do hope you don’t have to go….but think of the positives…… Can’t wait till you are all in Utah and set up for business. What a success you’ll be, Dr. David!

    August 31, 2005, 11:29 AM
  2. David says

    I found out today that only three CC officers from my service unit are going. They haven’t heard exactly when or where. By the way, all three were nurses.

    I forget which hurricane it was this past year, but I saw right on CNN a reporter tell the world that many people had lost their glasses, but the local eye doctors were volunteering and getting people taken care of. Don’t forget though, that in 9/11 and other disasters, there were numerous eye injuries. CC optometrists could be of use, and those events are what caused their to be an optometrist deployment category anyway. Too bad it hasn’t been utilized in every hurricane this year.

    August 31, 2005, 4:20 PM
  3. Elissa Crocker says

    I’m not very familiar with these type of sites but am cttently researching for an article re: deployment of USPHS nurses to Katrina. You mention 3 nurses in your service unit have orders to deploy. Are you allowed to share info? ie If they have rec’d more info as to where they are going and what they will do? I have inteviewed a USPHS nurse employed in the OKC area IHS and she has provided some info (ie everyone is on alert) but has not received word as to who might possibly be deployed or what they will do. I understand if you feel this is privileged info. Thanks

    September 3, 2005, 1:50 PM
  4. David says

    Here is what I e-mail E. Crocker:

    I didn’t list names because I hadn’t asked their permission. I’m not sure if it’s kosher either. I know for sure you can contact our USPHS commissioned corps liaisons and they can probably talk to you a little more. The Billings Area IHS-USPHS CC liaison is George Allen. I’m not at work, so I don’t know his e-mail address. The billings area office info is:
    Billings Area Indian Health Service
    2900 4th Avenue North
    Billings, MT 59101
    Phone: 406-247-7107
    FAX: 406-247-7230

    Other CC liaisons to IHS and other federal divisions can be found at:
    http://dcp.psc.gov/PDF_DOCS/SGPAC_17aug2005.pdf

    You can find contact info for the chief nurse officer at:
    http://dcp.psc.gov/PDF_DOCS/List-CPOs08-17-05.pdf

    Did you read this link?
    http://oep.osophs.dhhs.gov/ccrf/Missions/Katrina.htm

    Hope this helps. Please send me a link to your article on http://www.okcbusiness.com when you’ve published. Thanks.
    -DJL

    September 3, 2005, 8:34 PM



Some HTML is OK

or, reply to this post via trackback.

By submitting a comment here you grant this site a perpetual license to reproduce your words and name/web site in attribution. If you would like a custom picture by your name, then go to gravatar.com to link your e-mail address to your picture.

« »

Bad Behavior has blocked 166 access attempts in the last 7 days.