This time of year, it seems that everyone does their best to spread holiday cheer. Recently, Point Loma Nazarene University President Bob Brower, in addition to 53 faculty, staff and students from the School of Nursing, provided something more, however, when they traveled to New Orleans to assess the healthcare needs of the city’s residents, and other victims of Hurricane Katrina, and to provide any support that they could. The group conducted 220 surveys, interviewing residents about their healthcare needs and access.
Unfortunately, though much work has been done, many victims still do not have access to healthcare. They are reliant on emergency healthcare services from Heart to Heart International’s clinics, which were meant to be temporary disaster relief treatment centers and which will be closed in March as funding runs out.
In addition to surveying residents, the PLNU group distributed care kits, school supplies, and Bibles collected by the Student Nursing Association of Point Loma (SNAPL). They also hosted a health fair.
Their trip, which ran from Dec. 15 to 19, was sponsored by Heart to Heart and was completely funded by a Johnson & Johnson’s grant. The team primarily served residents in the community of Gentilly. Though some of the victims were reluctant to talk, those that did touched the students’ hearts.
“If we did nothing else, we listened to them and gave them another chance to tell their stories,” said graduate nursing student Chris Sloan.
Eric Yates
Media Relations Officer
(619) 849-7186
eyates@pointloma.edu
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