“The Health Rescue Pack”

Health Contributor:Dr. Teresa M. Wesley- “Ask Dr. T”

With every heart-wrenching picture and story that we witnessed on television, each one of us was engrossed with mass emotion.Sympathy, empathy, frustration, and anger traced through each of our minds as we felt for our brothers and sisters succumbing to the wrath of “Katrina”. All of us prayed diligently as we watched in awe the time elapse while our fellow Americans sat in despair, filth, homelessness, dehydration, while drowning in “broken levy sorrow”.As the victims fled towards a “safe-heaven” - the astrodome- more inhumane events unfolded.Eventually being transported out of the mire of “the bowl”, broken families and spirits ended up in shelters far from home.Among the importance of reuniting families, one of the key priorities was the health of the victims.For every healthy individual that suffered through this calamity, there were ten very ill individuals with major health issues including: diabetes, heart disease, congestive heart failure, and stroke.When told to evacuate, the victims carried with them a few essential items.As reflected in the media, medications were last on the minds of someone trying to flee inevitable disaster.Many people with serious debilitating conditions were without medications and nourishment that caused them to perish. One victim I heard interviewed reported, “I take a small yellow pill for my pressure, and big white one for my sugar, and I need my medicine”.And there were also multitudes that did not even know what medicines they were taking and why they were on the medications.

There are many lessons to learn when life presents challenges of this nature.However, one take home message is the understanding and responsibility of preparation.Although, no one can be prepared for a massive disaster of this caliber and to be left to fend for your life for days at a time with out shelter, clean water, and food.However, we can do our best to be individually prepared for our own health issues.At any given moment we should have in our possession at least a weeks worth of medications in our purse or cars.These can be easily placed in a pillbox that now can be purchased any local grocery store or super-marts.In addition, it is necessary to have a list of all medications that we are on.This should include: names, doses, and frequency (how often you take the medication). The combination of the medication and list of health issues is labeled your, “Health Rescue Pack”.It sounds like a simple concept or action, but it can be a lifesaver.I challenge each of us with any health issues to assemble the “Health Rescue Pack” as we discussed and place it in your purses or cars.As we have witnessed, if we are faced with a disaster, who knows when help will come.Therefore we must be prepared and empowered, therefore please put together your, “Health Rescue Pack”.

Disclaimer:The medical views represented above are strictly the opinions of Dr. T. Wesley and are for health education purposes only. Each persons medical illness and health issues cannot be generalized.All readers are advised to consult with their personal primary care physicians before implementing any of the above recommendations

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