Southeastern Louisiana University

Nursing faculty provide helping hands in New Orleans

Contact: Rene Abadie

2/13/06

Caption ...

LENDING A HELPING HAND – Southeastern Louisiana University nursing instructor Cathy Cormier prepares to administer an immunization at New Orleans’ Audubon Zoo on Saturday (Feb. 11). Members of Southeastern’s nursing faculty joined about 500 physicians, fellow nurses, and other health care professionals several days last week at the zoo to provide a wide array of medical and dental care to area residents.             

       HAMMOND -- Members of Southeastern Louisiana University nursing faculty joined about 500 physicians, fellow nurses, and other health care professionals several days last week at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans to provide a wide array of medical and dental care to area residents.
       Cythina Prestholdt, associate professor and graduate nursing program coordinator, said that with Charity Hospital closed since Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans physicians widely dispersed, many residents have been unattended medically.
       More than 10,000 residents were seen at the free clinic that was sponsored by Remote Area Medical, a nonprofit group that provides free medical services across the nation and the world. The organization was brought in by the New Orleans Health Department and recruited hundreds of medical and nursing volunteers from throughout the region.
       Medical and vision screenings, adult and child immunizations, even acupuncture treatments and mammograms were available to the residents, some of whom had arrived at 3 a.m. to get in line for the services, Prestholdt said.
       She said many of the people were presenting with uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension and mental health issues. “Many of these people have been off their medications for some time now, and were working to get them stabilized,” she said. 
       A large part of the operation was the pharmacy, where thousands of prescriptions were being filled with largely donated medications.
       “Most of our faculty did volunteer work at area shelters and churches following the storm,” Prestholdt said, “and this was a natural extension of that service.”
       Helping to coordinate the activities was Hammond architect William Sanchez of the Holly and Smith architectural firm.