Update from AHA President

Four weeks ago, Hurricane Katrina passed over Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. It ravaged the Gulf Coast, leveling homes, taking out roads and stranding thousands for days with no power or water. The images of the following days and weeks will remain with us … in part, because those images include the women and men of the hospitals in New Orleans, elsewhere in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama working tirelessly to care for the ill and injured … and provide shelter for those with no where else to go.

But these same nurses, technicians, physicians, housekeepers, pharmacists and the many others who work to ensure the hospital is open 24/7 lost everything as well. Thousands left home for work on Monday … and never made it back because their homes were no longer there.

During the last four weeks, I have never been prouder to be associated with the hospital community. John Matessino, Sam Cameron and Mike Horsley have done yeoman's work in helping their communities move toward a return to normalcy. They faced a challenge like never before, and you were ready to assist in any way. Your leadership has been tremendous … and is even more critical now.

I've mentioned The Care Fund on various calls in the past few weeks. The goal - provide financial assistance to hospital workers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and help them rebuild their lives so they can continue their mission of caring in our hospitals. Our fundraising operations for this critical fund are in high gear - and we need your help! We need you to spearhead the fundraising effort on the local level … with your hospitals, health care suppliers, businesses and others who are willing to assist those who have lost everything.

Attached is a sample letter and a very brief donation form to get you started. Publicize The Care Fund Web site - include a link from your association's home page. Make sure you tell folks that donations are tax-deductible - all administrative costs are being picked up by the three state associations.

Because the need is great, the first round of checks will be sent the first week in October. So it's critical that we raise as much as we can by September 30, so that we can help as many as possible, as quickly as possible.

If you need more information, call Robyn Cooke at (202) 626-2672, or send her an e-mail at rcooke@aha.org. We want to track our progress in this effort, so let Robyn know how your efforts are progressing.

Again, thanks for your tremendous leadership!

Dick