How long has it been since the hurricane and crap like this is still unresolved?
Medical trailers sit while hospitals overflow with patients
Nearly a year after they arrived in New Orleans to aid in health care availability following Katrina, several double-wide FEMA trailers designed to be used for medical services sit untouched while hospitals continue to overflow with patients, according to several doctors familiar with the situation.
“It’s terribly frustrating,” complained Dr. Cathi Fontenot, the Director of the Medical Center of Louisiana in New Orleans. “Everyone realizes the crisis for health care that’s here in the city and to be sitting on assets like this without being able to use them is terrible.”
LSU Health Science Center officials said the trailers were ordered after Katrina destroyed many medical facilities and arrived about seven months later. Each is capable of handling a half dozen or more patients at a time and the idea is to spread them out around the city, in damaged areas, so that more routine care can take place there, freeing up hospitals for real emergencies.
LSU and Tulane doctors are ready to staff the facilities that will include primary doctors and some specialists, but they say they’ve had problems with zoning issues, that may be finally be getting resolved.
LSUHSC officials said that one of the concerns was opening the clinics on school sites, bringing adults into close proximity with children, but Fontenot said the center had plans to avoid any problems.
“Four of the clinics had plans to be on school sites, but the hours of operation for the community will be very different than the hours of operation for the children.”
A temporary zoning waiver passed the city council this month and it is awaiting the mayor’s signature, but Dwayne Thomas, the CEO of the Medical Center of Louisiana, said it will still take between 90 and 100 days for those facilities to come on line.
The one constant of society is bureaucracy.
I guess the Mayor has been to busy chocoltizing the city to push the council to make the waivers happen.
But since this is New Orleans we are talking about, my real guess is that the council and the Mayor couldn’t figure out how to scam a buck from it.
Now if they would just cut back on zoning hassles in other places too.
“LSUHSC officials said that one of the concerns was opening the clinics on school sites, bringing adults into close proximity with children”
Because, of course, children should never — EVER! — have contact with adults. In fact, they shouldn’t even know adults exist. It makes them feel less special, and feel sad to know that one day they too will become adults and no longer be coddled little self-important darlings. And we can’t have that, can we?
In fact, we should just kill everyone who reaches the age of thirty. Since adults are the cause of all that is evil, that’ll solve all the world’s problems right there!
“Run, Runner”…
This incredible efficiency should say something to those who want government to assume more responsibility in our lives.
But sadly, it probably won’t.
One thing ya’all forgot:
Medical trailers need medical staff to be effective. Why the hell would any doctor or nurse want to go to New Orleans? They lower their own standard of living, their stuff starts getting ripped off, and all for a bunch of thankless whining babies unable to pick themselves up when they’ve fallen.
I read a few stories about some guys that left their families up north, and moved temporarily to New Orleans to help out with reconstruction. How did that turn out for them? Their trucks and tools were stolen.
“Thanks”
Bush scurried down to tornado-ville a few weeks ago, though…
I mentioned long ago…
the city rebuilds the City.
the county rebuilds the county
The state rebuilds the State.
the Feds, rebuild the Federal works.
AND the insurance companies PAY and rebuild most of the rest…
If they didnt have insurance, They dont get REBUILT.
#6 – The item says medical staff is standing ready to keep the trailers open. Staffing apparently isn’t a big problem. It’d be interesting to know how long the mayor and city council have known about the trailers sitting there needed but unused.
#4 – we should just kill everyone who reaches the age of thirty. Since adults are the cause of all that is evil, that’ll solve all the world’s problems right there! – That’s a fine idea. I really is. Just, you know, give me an exemption or something.
Kind of like the buses that Ray Nagen left idle…
Notice how this topic brings out people throwing dirt into the air; look at all of the various sundry half truths, mis-statements, or flirting with racism in those 9 replies. Lets focus on the basic facts, eh? FEMA trailers, right there, unused. If any person with any authority just drove the trucks up and dropped the things off, that the idle staff wouldn’t just go work? The fact is that the issue here is a complete lack of leadership on all levels, just like the original disaster. Local, State, and yes, Federal. FEMA is involved, and what does that first letter stand for? This shocking lack of leadership is the real problem, not the crime that results from complete economic devastation, or the mayor is particular (though he is hardly a shining example of leadership). FEMA trailers are sitting unused everywhere, not just in Louisiana, most bought at high cost to taxpayers, rusting away. Why not give them away? Are there no people in America lacking shelter?
Let me define leadership, before I invite more dirt in my eyes. It is the ability to go and do the right thing, and rally people to do it, with no concern to the consequences to ones self. Now, that is not to be confused with a despotic ruler, who go and do the wrong thing, having concern only for themselves. In this case, everyone is concerned that if they proceed without their posterior covered from all directions they might get a kick in the it from one side of the other. The result is that no good gets done. But don’t get between them and their favorite appropriation, or a television camera. No, they’ve got their priorities. Unfortunately, it’s not us.