Page 34 - Layout 1
P. 34
BCMS NEWS
continued from page 33
member Melody Newsom. “We spent the last couple of days making sure everyone knew
By August 31, the shelter situation in San Antonio was winding their new shelter assignment,” Newsom said. “I’ve talked to a few
of the physicians and they were very pleased with how organized
down and Metro Health was in the process of closing down the Cen- the medical clinic is and said there is plenty of room. It seems to be
tennial and Kazen shelters. Most of the shelter populations were a positive experience for most.”
shipped back home via bus, but those remaining were transferred to
the shelter at Harland Clark where the population grew to more than More than 1,000 patients had to be transported to hospitals across
300. BCMS volunteers were told to expect as many as 2,000 evacuees the state in the wake of the hurricane and one of the biggest challenges
during this time. statewide was 650 dialysis patients needing care in Beaumont. But
things were under control in San Antonio where Roger Pollok with
Much of the work at this point involved logistics of transferring Metro Health boasted about the work of the medical volunteers.
supplies to the remaining shelter.
Once the majority of the evacuees were sent back, Kazen Middle
Dr. Junda Woo, with Metro Health, set up a medical station at School shelter was reopened and was staffed with our medical vol-
the responder shelter housing first responders and bus and truck unteers. The other shelters were closed and evacuees were consoli-
drivers. Epidemiologists were brought in after a rumor started about dated once again.
a possible bug outbreak.
All remaining evacuees were eventually transferred to Kazen. One
The Harland Clark shelter grew to 433 people by Sept. 1. There person was diagnosed with pneumonia and was being treated with
would have been more, but several buses trying to bring people from antibiotics and a nebulizer by Dr. Donald Gordon.
coastal communities couldn’t find routes west past Nome, Texas.
“I can’t imagine having pneumonia and living in a shelter,” New-
Melody Newsom said the population at Harland Clark was ex- som said. “Thank God for our volunteers!”
tremely complimentary of how well the shelter was running and how
it was organized.
34 San Antonio Medicine • October 2017
