Untitled Document

A Volunteer's Report
A day in the life of the GRB
relief effort

By Bryant Boutwell, Dr.P.H.

Wednesday, September 8, 7:30 a.m. – I am on my way to the George R. Brown Convention Center to volunteer at the medical command center established by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston to assist the thousands of New Orleans refugees from Hurricane Katrina who now reside in this downtown facility. Across town at the Astrodome/Reliant Center, another 11,000 are receiving shelter and care. In all it is estimated that 250,000 victims of Hurricane Katrina are seeking shelter and assistance in Houston during this week after the storm. I have no idea what to expect as a volunteer reporting for duty, but there is an internal responsibility as a UT employee and as a citizen to do something.

A large volunteer sign with an arrow is scribbled on butcher paper outside the convention center and clearly marks the way off the street. A quick sign-in and wisp of the hand-held metal detector and I’m in. My new “worker pass” wrist band is supplemented by my UT employee badge to validate my volunteer status and heightened sense of responsibility.

There’s an odd sense of chaos and calm in the George R. Brown Convention Center. Cots and bedding are neatly laid out in two large areas that seem to stretch endlessly. The air conditioning is cool, and the air is clean. What a difference this must be from the chaos of the New Orleans Superdome that most here evacuated only days earlier. Here the children have designated play areas with televisions, toys, games, and supervision where they can be children again.

There is an order to the food lines. A community store is staffed by volunteers who help those in need select clothing or supplies from an ample supply of donated items. A large sign points to showers, and a phone bank comprised of rows of red phones is heavily used by those searching for missing or separated family members. Everywhere there are smiling volunteers from all over Houston wearing yellow T-shirts. Their smiles accent a tremendous sense of pride that Houston is a place that cares and knows how to rally.

Yet don’t be fooled by the order. There is an underlying chaos here that we are all flying by the seats of our pants – Katrina survivors and citizen volunteers alike. Collectively we would all like to know how long will this last, what will happen next, and will New Orleans ever rise again? These are questions for the tomorrows ahead, not for the realities of today. For right now, the glue that holds this enterprise together is an unconditional respect for human dignity and a Houston-sized dedication to making a bad situation better.

Making my way to the Medical Command Center, I see a continuation of hastily crafted signs. I’m moving from cots and bedding to social services and medical care. Here on the far side of the hall is the central command center overseen by The University of Texas Health Science Center. There is a medical registration area, a triage area, and multiple care areas separated by curtains with hand-drawn signs denoting adult medical care, pedi care, Ob/Gyn, mental health, trauma, and much more. The UT Dental Branch’s mobile care van strikes an impressive pose parked between mental health and trauma care. Tables for first aid and immunizations are also in place, and each area has a UT faculty member wearing a well-worn orange vest (donated by Centerpoint Energy) to denote their leadership role.

Established under the direction of Dr. Mike McKinney, senior executive vice president and chief operating officer for the UT Health Science Center at Houston, there is a serious buzz of activity within the command center where paperwork collects quickly for data entry and filing. Each day the process of registering those in need of medical assistance gets a bit more organized, yet we are constantly thinking of better ways to improve the process. Considering all of this was put together by the health science center during the opening hours of Labor Day weekend, there is a great sense of pride and purpose that our UT family of schools has mobilized into action on such short notice – literally hours.

Nearby a table of Houston firefighters with ambulances outside denote the readiness and city-wide investment in care. Volunteer physicians and nurses stream in and register their availability. In the command center, credentials are verified and expertise is directed where there is need. In the pedi area, more than 300 children were seen yesterday alone. Seizures, diarrhea, allergic reactions – all are being addressed with the same care and compassion any mother would expect. Quest labs is there to help, and a pharmacy established by Walgreens is doing a superb job, according to our medical staff, in getting prescriptions filled at no cost to those in need.

Today Dr. Larry Gilstrap, chair of obstetrics and gynecology, is overseeing the medical side of the command post. With a tired but enthusiastic smile, he notes this is a bit like his old Army days when he ran MASH units. A third-year medical student on active reserve with the Army has just arrived with a tent that can be raised to provide suitable darkness for ophthalmologists who are scheduled to arrive shortly. Meanwhile a husband and wife team representing their optical business in Spring arrive and ask for a table to help those in need of eyeglasses repair or replacement. They’ve brought a box of used eyeglasses that will be gone within the hour. Before I can find a table they are surrounded by need and fixing glasses on folded chairs. “We had a few extra hours today and wanted to help,” they tell me.