Late Friday afternoon, about 30 of the major VSO's met with Secretary Nicholson, and all of the Deputy Secretaries for a brief on the VA's efforts and game plan, relative to the "Hurricane Katrina Response".

The discussion was based on ways we can work together to help the victims of this disaster.  I have to tell you, I was extremely impressed with the VA on this one.   The focus was on helping these folks regain their stability as dignified human beings.  The Veterans Service Organizations can play a major part in this through providing the strength of their comrades to restore hope, vision (for a stable future) and dignity.
 
- The Veterans Administration has a 24/7 Emergency Response Operations Center up and running in Martinsburg, WV with all the satellite centers on line (including the one in the sub-basement in Washington. 
 
- As of 1400 on Friday, every single person had been evacuated from the New Orleans VA Medical Center in downtown New Orleans.  Not one, veteran or staff person was left behind and there were no injuries (relative to the hurricane or evacuation).  This included 9 on ventilators.  There is a "stay-behind" security staff.
 
- Clearly, there has been a tremendous increase in the "homeless veteran" population, with many being "homeless with families".
 
- The VA is in the process of establishing 5 to 7 sites in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi where they will conduct a series of "stand-downs" to deal with an entire range of issues facing these victims of the disaster, including having PTSD counselors on site.
 
- At any given time, the VA has about 7000 houses in their inventory all across the country as a result of "VA Loan Defaults".  They are working with FEMA to make these homes available to those who have been displaced as well as other vacant spaces available at some VA sites.
 
- Anyone who receives monthly checks from the Veterans Administration will continue to receive those checks.  If they were evacuated from the disaster area, they can go to any VA Regional Office and that office has been authorized to cut a check for them on the spot.  (including "advance" checks in an emergency)
 
- Anyone wishing to donate specific items to the hurricane and flood victims can take them to the VAVS Office at any VA facility.  Secretary Nicholson said that the VAVS people have been authorized to accept and ship items to the evacuation sites.  Among the items needed:
 
- clothing for adults and children
- phone cards so they can contact relatives
- diapers
- baby formula
- water
 
One of the things that some of the other VSO's is doing is opening up their Post Homes to house and feed hurricane victims.  Might be something for any Detachment who has their own Detachment home and knows of hurricane victims being evacuated to their area, to consider.
 
Marine Corps League National Headquarters, your National Officers and the Marine Corps League Foundation are here 24/7 and stand ready to assist in any way we can.
 
Semper Fidelis -
Mike
 

Veterans Administration Overview:

Deterioration of city infrastructure continues. The convoy  evacuation team has gotten all patients out of the Medical Center and onto planes bound for VA medical centers at Houston, Jackson, Alexandria, Little Rock and Shreveport   Staff and families are expected to be completely evacuated by bus  to Alexandria VA Medical Center by today.  Efforts continue to locate 4 of the 9 patients evacuated from New Orleans by helicopter on Tuesday to private hospitals. 

National  Disaster  Management  System  ( DMS)   has been activated and evacuation of the 2500 patients stranded at New Orleans hospitals  is underway.  Although there have been many exercises with NDMS, this system has not been used in mass casualty regulation of patients from the FCC to the NDMS hospitals.  Approximately 2/3 of FCCs are managed by VA Medical Centers. The Federal Coordinating Center  (FCC) at Houston managed by the VAMC Houston  has received 8 planes of evacuees from New Orleans.    VAMC Dallas received 5 flights.  VAMC  Atlanta has also received  1  plane  with another one expected today. . All  VAMCs  have been prepared and  are implementing  the reception of these  non VA patients and  arranging transport to NDMS hospitals.  So far, with little advanced warning the NDMS patient reception and regulation is proceeding well which is extraordinary given the lack of advanced notification and numbers of patients. 

VISN 16

The VISN has established an employee toll free hotline (1-888-766-2474 ) staffed between 6AM to 10PM to answer questions from  employees and families. VA is advertising this number in local media.  Pay checks will be issued for all VISN 16 employees.

VA Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) along the coast have been destroyed or severely damaged and are closed. Plans are being developed to deploy mobile clinics and clinical teams to these locations until  services can be restored.

New Orleans:

Patients , employees and families have been evacuated.  VAMC employees and families are in route by bus to VAMC Alexandria.VA Security and Law Enforcement  have developed a plan to secure the facility with  VA  police after evacuation. 10 VA Police officers  have arrived in New Orleans via Alexandria  and relieved N ew  Orleans police currently on duty.  30 more will arrive this weekend in Alexandria. VAMC will also maintain an engineering and management presence to protect the property and infrastructure to the maximum extent possible. Repair costs will be extensive.

VAMC Alexandria continues to serve as staging area for New Orleans.

Duplicate VISTA system with all patient records is being established at VAMC Houston.   Back up tapes from last Friday have been secured  and are being  transported to Houston and should be operational in next couple of days.

The management team for the VA Medical will be reconstituted in Jackson beginning next week.

VA Office of Facilities Management Team currently at Gulf Port and Biloxi assessing damage to facilities.

Biloxi:

VA  Office of Facilities Management team is at Gulfport assessing the extent of the damage.  They will assess Biloxi when work is completed at Gulf Port.

49 VHA volunteer staff arrived today,

Biloxi is fully operational with limited communications. High quality patient care continues.

The VA  National  Acquisition  Center  and EMSHG have arranged for daily shipment of fuel for generators and power equipment needed for clean up and to sustain operations.

VISTA  including electronic patient records is fully functional at VAMC even though external communications are not working.

The VISN 8 Communication van is being deployed to Biloxi. 
 
VAMC Jackson is the staging area for Biloxi.

Trailers have been purchased by NAC and will be deployed to house volunteers.  This asset will be maintained by EMSHG for future deployments after they are no longer needed at Biloxi.

Other Issues:

A total of 514 veterans were transferred from the Gulfport Air Force Retirement Home to the Washington DC AFRH.  55 came by plane on Wednesday, and the rest by bus on Thursday.  Six patients required inpatient admission to the Washington DC VAMC.   Washington DC VA provided additional linens, as well as MDs, social workers and mental health staff to do evaluations and exams.  Patients came without records or medications.  Half of these veterans previously received care at Gulfport VA, and the rest at DoD.  The internet records of those treated previously at VA facilities were made available through the VISN 16 corporate date warehouse.  

One of  VA's grant/per diem programs in New Orleans evacuated approximately 60 veterans before the hurricane. These formerly homeless veterans were staying in a transitional housing program funded under VA's Homeless Grant/Per Diem (GPD) Program. The group got as far as Beaumont, TX and were stranded in inadequate living conditions. They contacted the Homeless Veteran Program Coordinator, VAMC Houston, TX. He first made contact with the veterans, afterwards went to Beaumont and met with them, and last night transported about 35 to the Houston area to provide services. 

NDMS:

Activate 16 VA Federal Coordinating Centers  (FCCs) for reception and triage of patients to local NDMS hospitals.  Activation accomplished. Received reimbursement ceiling increase, to support patient reception mission at each of the 16 VA FCCs, from $1OK to $250K.

Status:

FCC VAMC Houston has received 8 evacuation flights including receipt of evacuated patients from Houston. Confirming numbers. FCC VAMC Dallas received five evacuation flights yesterday with a total of 205 NDMS patients.

FCC VAMC Atlanta received two evacuation flights yesterday with a total of 86 patients.  Next flight due in this morning. 

Other FCCs activated local plans to receive flights as additional evacuation flights are being generated from New Orleans

Received mission assignment to send 8 facility engineers to hospitals in Mississippi.  Status:  Engineers identified from several VA medical facilities—while preparing them to be deployed the mission assignment was cancelled.

Received mission assignment 250 medial personnel to deploy to 8 hospitals in Mississippi.  However, mission assignment was to ESF 8 and was forwarded with no specific requirement to VA.  Have requested the VA liaison to HHS to clarify and provide VA tasking (if any).