American Health Lawyers Association Donates $10,000 To Hurricane Katrina Rebuilding Efforts

Main Category: Aid / Disasters
Article Date: 27 Sep 2007 - 19:00 PDT

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The American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA) announced that it will contribute $10,000 to Hurricane Katrina-related rebuilding efforts, with $5,000 being donated to the Katrina Outreach Program of the Mississippi Bar Foundation and $5,000 being donated to the Touro Infirmary in Louisiana.

The Katrina Outreach Program supports lawyers and counselors in the Mississippi Gulf Coast area who provide counseling to those experiencing depression and post-storm type trauma. The Touro Infirmary is one of the premier rehabilitation centers in the country and is New Orleans' only community based, not-for-profit, faith-based hospital.

"As a long time member of AHLA, I am extremely proud of our Association for recognizing the work and acknowledging the financial needs of the Katrina Outreach Program of the Mississippi Bar Foundation and the Touro Infirmary in New Orleans," said Joel M. Hamme, Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville PC, Washington, DC, and AHLA President-Elect." "Both of these entities furnish vital healthcare and health services to individuals who have been detrimentally affected by the Katrina disaster."

Immediately after the tragedy, AHLA provided a forum for discussion and resolution of various legal and healthcare issues arising from the gulf coast hurricanes by launching a listserve, creating a job bank, and extending the membership for those living in the affected areas. In addition, it released Medicaid Basics: A Question and Answer Guide about Eligibility, Coverage and Benefits to assist those affected by the disasters.

"The Association has also been at the forefront of compiling emergency preparedness tools for healthcare providers. In that same spirit, AHLA's contributions to the Katrina Outreach Program and Touro are not only fully consistent with AHLA's mission but also are completely in accord with the health Bar's best traditions of community service and compassion for those in need," noted Mr. Hamme.

Just recently, AHLA released a new Public Information resource -- Lessons Learned from the Gulf Coast Hurricanes - and made it available to the public on its website. This important resource draws upon the experiences of healthcare providers and community leaders who were directly involved in the immediate rebuilding efforts and aftermath of the devastating storms and is the product of additional insights gained as a result of analyzing such emergency situations and distilling "lessons learned" from the hurricanes.

Peter Leibold, Executive Vice President/CEO of AHLA, noted that "Our hope is that the donations made today to the Katrina Outreach Program and the Touro Infirmary will not only increase visibility for both of these worthy organizations but will also serve as an acknowledgement of the contributions made by numerous nonprofits in providing needed healthcare and legal services to those displaced by the destructive hurricanes of 2005.

AHLA's dedication to addressing the immediate needs of the victims of Hurricane Katrina, as well as the modest monetary donations given this week, exemplify a key component of the Association's mission to serve as a public resource on selected healthcare legal issues. For more information on the Association's Public Interest mission and activities, visit our website at http://www.healthlawyers.org/publicinterest.

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