BATON ROUGE-Today the Louisiana Department of Health launched Health Care Assist Louisiana, www.HealthCareAssistLA.org, as a resource for those in the health care community wishing to provide aid to Haiti. The site serves as a single point of reference for health care workers, nonprofits and corporations throughout Louisiana who may wish to donate time, money, supplies or other resources via national and international relief organizations following the earthquake and related health crisis in Haiti.
"We have all seen the tragic images coming from Haiti, and nowhere is this more manifested than in the health care challenges they are facing," said LDH Secretary Alan Levine. "One of the most important ways we can help as an agency is to provide access to resources for those who wish to participate in the recovery work. Health Care Assist Louisiana allows us to connect individuals with the ability to reach out and provide assistance."
Health Care Assist Louisiana provides the health care community a list of agencies, organizations and corporations accepting financial and material donations, and volunteers for the recovery work in Haiti. Some of the resources include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center, the Center for International Disaster Information and the Clinton Foundation.
Health Care Assist Louisiana also includes a news section, which will be updated with the latest information on how the state is helping the recovery effort. A "Who's Helping" page provides an ongoing list of individuals, companies, agencies and nonprofits already engaged in the volunteer efforts who have reported their work to the state.
Last week, Secretary Levine offered the state's health care resources to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Mark Cooper, Director of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, also offered GOHSEP's assistance to FEMA -- offering both physical supplies and assistance by registering with the national database. Any state response will be at the request of the federal government and within the national disaster medical system plan.
The Louisiana Department of Health strives to protect and promote health statewide and to ensure access to medical, preventive and rehabilitative services for all state citizens. To learn more about LDH, visit http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov.
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