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 Home > 2005 Hurricane Response and Recovery Effort > 2005 Stories From MRC Volunteers > MRC Responder: Pat Santucci
Pat Santucci, a psychiatrist and medical director of the SW Florida MRC, responded to the National MRC request for volunteers to go to the Gulf Coast. “I received a phone call asking if I could leave within 2 days and to expect adverse and harsh conditions. Equipped with sleeping bag, bug spray, sun screen, food, and water for 3 days and ready for a field hospital, I was pleasantly surprised to be deployed to Mobile, Alabama, and served aboard the cruise ship, Holiday. This ship served as a shelter for 1,400 evacuees, including 600 children, from the hardest hit area of Mississippi. Being the only psychiatrist aboard ship meant taking call 24/7. Fortunately, I had three to four other mental health volunteers to assist me. Getting a mental health team organized to provide psychological first aid and identify those at high risk, like children, was a priority. “I would see at least 30–40 patients a day and was busy night and day with almost every imaginable problem. Some had pre-existing psychiatric problems and were being stressed; others had lost their medications, and others were newly traumatized. We worked with every population—from children to the elderly. We set up evaluations and medication clinics, crisis intervention (sometimes hospitalization), groups for children, teenagers, parents, and substance abusers and provided consultation for other disaster relief workers as to how to identify and respond. “It was important to work closely with medicine in the infirmary. Often people are reluctant to ask for mental health and would come with somatic complaints. If they were swamped in the infirmary, I picked up my stethoscope and assisted in the clinic, and they did the same. The camaraderie among the volunteers was exceptional. “When the infirmary closed, we performed ‘deck rounds.’ Our day started at 8:00 a.m. and finished around 11:00 p.m., with emergency calls often interrupting a night’s sleep. “We did some outstanding work in those 2 weeks. I can’t believe how much we accomplished and how creative we were with limited resources. Everyone wanted to give 110%, and often now we will e-mail each other just to touch base. This had to be one of the most unique, challenging, and positive experiences in my entire career.” Last Updated on 5/26/2006 |
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