A Flood of Relief – Mayo staff respond to needs of those affected by Hurricane Katrina

At 9 a.m. on Aug. 29, Hurricane Katrina passed over New Orleans. In the hours that followed, levees broke, and much of the city of New Orleans lay under several feet of water. The rest of the country watched in helpless disbelief. In Minnesota, Florida and Arizona and every other state in the nation, Americans responded, doing whatever they could do to help alleviate the suffering.

Mayo Clinic promptly pledged $1 million to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. And Mayo prepared to do more — much more.

On Sept. 2, Denis Cortese, M.D., Mayo president and CEO, announced to all Mayo staff: "Mayo Clinic has contacted those most closely involved in relief efforts. Colleagues from our practices in Arizona, Jacksonville, Rochester and Mayo Health System are coordinating our response … With your help, Mayo Clinic will do everything in its power to assist the people so seriously affected by this natural disaster. It's our primary value and our sole priority."

In Rochester, the response took the form of Operation Minnesota Lifeline, which involved four teams of caregivers dispatched to the Gulf Coast. Of those team members, 199 who left from Minnesota were from Mayo Clinic and Mayo Health System. Mayo Clinic staff from Jacksonville and Arizona joined their Minnesota colleagues in the effort. Hundreds of other Mayo staff volunteered to go, if needed.

"We have a mini Mayo set up here," said Priya Sampathkumar, M.D., one of the Mayo Clinic physicians who cared for patients in the Gulf Coast region. They provided examinations, vaccinations and other medical care to more than 18,000 people.

"This approach, with volunteers who were self-sufficient, was the most effective way to help," said Dr. Tina Stefanski, medical director for Louisiana's Region 4 where Operation Minnesota Lifeline provided medical care. "I want to thank Mayo for their support in the Minnesota Lifeline mission. We could never have done it without them!"

In Jacksonville, Mayo's St. Luke's Hospital admitted injured patients airlifted from the Gulf Coast. In Arizona, Mayo Clinic physicians, nurses and other caregivers helped care for thousands of hurricane survivors at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix.

Gold Cross, part of Mayo Clinic Medical Transport, dispatched paramedics and ambulances to assist in disaster relief efforts. After beginning their mission in Baton Rouge, La., they maintained a base at the New Orleans Convention Center and responded to emergency needs. About 40 Gold Cross personnel participated.

Mayo's mission — putting patients first — was much of the reason that Mayo Clinic decided to devote significant resources to those displaced by hurricanes. In fact, Mayo Clinic's history in Rochester was shaped by disaster response. Saint Marys Hospital on the Mayo Clinic Rochester campus was built in response to a tornado that struck in 1883.

"Mayo Clinic has always been a place of hope," says Dr. Cortese. "Because of the scope of this disaster, it was important that Mayo Clinic offer hope — by providing care for patients."