UTSW community unites in hurricane relief effort

From staff reports

Even before news reports confirmed that Hurricane Harvey would leave thousands in South Texas homeless and others in need of emergency medical care, UT Southwestern began to mobilize.

In Dallas, more than two dozen UT Southwestern physicians, fellows, students, and other volunteers were involved with the medical response at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Mega-Shelter, serving evacuees who had relocated north from Houston and the South Texas region, an area devastated by historic flooding. The effort included pediatricians, psychiatrists, infectious disease specialists, and half a dozen UT Southwestern Emergency Medicine personnel.

Many employees were quick to volunteer to head to Houston as part of the effort. More than 40 UTSW nurses stepped up to help for two weeks at a sister institution, MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

“This has the appearance of being the largest disaster response we’ve ever had in this community,” said Dr. Raymond Fowler, Professor of Emergency Medicine and Chief of the Division of Emergency Medical Services at UT Southwestern. “This is a joint effort in this region, and the thing that really warms my heart is that the Dallas area – the citizens and the medical community – has a way of coming together when it’s important, and this is an example of that.”

Dr. Fowler, who had been involved in responding to four previous hurricanes, two in 2005 and two in 2008, served as Chief Medical Officer at the Convention Center operation, where thousands of cots were set up to serve evacuees.

At the Mega-Shelter, UT Southwestern physicians and fellows helped prepare the facility, including managing medical supplies and putting into action a plan for triaging patients.

“This is what we are experienced in and train for daily – to ensure we’re ready when needed – so that we can provide the best possible care for the evacuees as they arrive. We are fortunate to have some of the most experienced people in disaster medicine on the UTSW faculty to assist Dallas in successfully managing the evacuation needs and to meet the medical needs of the evacuees,” said Dr. Raymond Swienton, Professor of Emergency Medicine, Division Chief for Emergency and Disaster Global Health, and Co-Director of the CDC Exemplar Center for Public Health Emergency Preparedness.

UTSW Emergency Medicine faculty and residents, and EMS and Emergency and Disaster Global Health fellows assisted with medical care for evacuees housed at several Dallas shelters, including the Convention Center.

 UT Southwestern students from all three schools, meanwhile, also heeded the call. More than 200 volunteered for staffing jobs at the Convention Center, for blood drives, and for organizing diaper donations. The students were recognized by the Mega-Shelter’s medical clinic incident command for their outstanding service, working more than 1,500 hours.

One of those helped by UTSW efforts was Ashley Aples, whose family evacuated from Houston. Twelve years before, he had fled New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to rebuild his life in Texas.

By the Numbers: UTSW Hurricane Harvey Effort

  • 23 days operating the Dallas Mega-Shelter
  • 2,500 patient visits at the shelter
  • 3,800 estimated total evacuees served at the shelter
  • Dozens of UTSW personnel who staffed the shelter
  • 200 UTSW students helped at the shelter
  • 1,500 hours these students worked

“We’ve seen it before; we know what this means,” Mr. Aples said from the Dallas Mega-Shelter at the time. The 35-year-old forklift operator had come to the shelter with his wife and 8-year-old son, who along with other relatives packed into two cars as floodwaters began to rise around their apartment. They headed north, not sure what they would find.

“My family got what they needed,” Mr. Aples said with a smile, looking across the multitude of volunteer groups spread across the sprawling shelter.

“Some of the worst times bring out the best in us and show us who we really are,” Mr. Aples said of the physicians and volunteers helping at the shelter. “We have individuals here of different faiths and races, all helping their fellow man.”

During 23 days of continuous operation, the Mega-Shelter’s medical clinic provided more than 2,500 patient visits at the shelter, which housed more than 3,800 evacuees.

“Large numbers of people were stranded for days in this unprecedented disaster that impacted the Texas coastal area. We stood ready to provide shelter and medical care to our fellow Texans who arrived in Dallas,” said Dr. Swienton, a long-standing senior adviser to the state of Texas.

UT Southwestern Pediatrics faculty physicians also assisted, providing support to the Mega-Shelter pediatric clinic daily to help treat the evacuated children.

“We will provide services as long as they are needed,” said Dr. Maeve Sheehan, Professor of Pediatrics, who oversaw the shelter’s pediatric care with Dr. Halim Hennes, Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine.

UT Southwestern pediatric neonatologists aided with the evacuation of neonatal patients as the flooding began, and UT Southwestern pediatric nephrologists provided dialysis to several displaced children.

To help longer term, UT Southwestern partnered with CirrusMD to offer hurricane evacuees free access to an ER physician via a video and text messaging app. The telemedicine program, Texas Docs Care, enables Texans to download a CirrusMD app to consult with a UTSW doctor on a computer or mobile device. A FEMA ID is required to register and use the service.

Through this initiative, UT Southwestern physicians address concerns such as refilling prescriptions, obtaining substitutions for medical equipment damaged or left behind in floods, or discussing symptoms and other issues for those who can’t reach their physicians.

“As Houston continues to recover from Hurricane Harvey, we know some areas won’t be easily accessible and some doctors’ offices will likely be closed for some time, but medical needs still must be met,” said Dr. Deborah Diercks, Chairman of Emergency Medicine.

Dr. Diercks holds the Audre and Bernard Rapoport Distinguished Chair in Clinical Care and Research.

Dr. Fowler holds the James M. Atkins, M.D. Professorship in Emergency Medical Services.

About UT Southwestern Medical Center

UT Southwestern, one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution’s faculty has received six Nobel Prizes, and includes 22 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 18 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The faculty of more than 2,700 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in about 80 specialties to more than 100,000 hospitalized patients, 600,000 emergency room cases, and oversee approximately 2.2 million outpatient visits a year.