North Central Health District

American Red Cross Recognizes NCHD Nurses

Posted October 21, 2016 by NCHD Admin

NCHD nurses are being recognized by the American Red Cross for our well-coordinated response to Hurricane Matthew.

On October 7, six of Georgia’s coastal counties were put under mandatory evacuation from Hurricane Matthew. Evacuees headed to Macon, where the American Red Cross would eventually open four evacuation shelters to provide emergency lodging, meals and general care.

“We were happy to work in partnership with the American Red Cross to ensure that evacuees received the support they needed at a stressful time,” said Dr. Anita Barkin, Director of Nursing and Clinical Services for North Central Health District. “It was a pleasure working with American Red Cross shelter staff.”

Once the storm had passed, however, Dr. Barkin received a kind, yet unexpected note of recognition from Luis Morales, Central Midwest Chapter Health Service Lead. The letter reads:

Dear Dr. Barkin,

I want to take this opportunity to express my personal and corporate appreciation to you and your nursing staff at North Central Health District during Hurricane Matthew relief efforts. Hurricane Matthew, a category three, when it approached the Georgia coast earlier this month, could have affected our state much worse. When Bibb County’s emergency management agency decided to open general population shelters, I was personally concerned because I knew our local chapter did not have enough health services volunteers to manage one shelter; much less the four we ended up opening. If it wasn’t for the extraordinary support from North Central Health District staff, we would not have been able to provide the nursing care we did for so many evacuees. Your staff expertise not only provided assistance with activities of daily living, they helped relocate evacuees that exceeded the services we could safely provide in the shelter.

I wish I had kept a list of all your employees that helped, so I won’t list the ones I do remember because I know I will miss more than what I remember. However, I know you have access to their names. Please extend my deepest appreciation to each one of them.

Luis O. Morales, BSN
Chapter, Health Service Lead

Said Dr. Barkin, “This letter belongs to all of the nurses who stepped up and used their knowledge and skills to provide compassionate support to those seeking shelter from the storm.”