HJNO Jan/Feb 2022

SLaMMA It is said that every cloud has a silver lining. The ominous clouds of hurricanes are no different. After every storm, there are countless inspiring and heartwarming stories of those who step up to help — the Cajun Navy, the church groups, the out-of-state linemen, the first responders and, of course, the medical professionals. In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, various mutual aid groups leapt into action to deliver supplies and care to the hardest-hit areas. One such group, Southeast Louisiana Mutual Medical Aid (SLaMMA) made up of Tulane and LSU physicians, nurses, medical students and other volunteers, provided basic first aid, medical consultations and medication refills to communities in Terrebonne Parish. SLaMMA founders Anjali Niyogi, MD, MPH, and Annelies De Wulf, MD, applied their significant experience in global health and lessons learned after Hurricane Katrina to this most recent disaster, hoping to avert an even larger public health crisis. After a storm like Ida, the need can be over- whelming and paralyzing. It can be hard to know where to start. “Having been through Katrina and recogniz- ing the extensive disruption of health services following such a massive disaster, providing basic medical care or at least ensuring people had access to medications and refills seemed urgent,” explained Niyogi. She and De Wulf discussed the response with other mutual aid groups who were already gath- ering and delivering supplies like water and gas to hard-hit areas after the storm had moved through the state, and the idea for SLaMMA was born. The collaboration was a natural one —Niyogi and De Wulf work together at University Medical Center New Orleans and have collaborated on many initiatives in the past. Living and working in New Orleans, both had personally witnessed the medical complications that can occur follow- ing hurricanes. Patients may lose medications during the storm or run out of crucial medicine in the aftermath when clinics and pharmacies remain closed. Similarly, outpatient follow-ups and screenings can be delayed while infrastruc- ture is restored. “We both have extensive global health experi- ence and are directors of the global health pro- grams at our respective institutions,” said De Wulf. “This global health perspective helped us to plan and act quickly with limited resources.” “Limited resources” was a distinct under- statement for post-Ida Terrebonne Parish, where SLaMMA concentrated their efforts. The group focused on Terrebonne because of their existing relationships with other relief groups like Krewe of Red Beans and Another Gulf is Possible, who were already working with the hard-hit Pointes- Aux-Chenes tribal community and the Chauvin area. “Ideally, we would have expanded to other areas and parishes as well, but we were coordi- nating these efforts while still on duty at our hos- pitals, so we had limited capacity for expansion,” said Niyogi. But it turned out there was plenty of need in this spot alone. The two doctors drove down to the area to do a simple needs assessment and scope out the area. “We were looking for a space that would be physically safe and accessible,” said Niyogi. “We connected with the Montegut Fire Station and the Cajun Army who provided us space to set up a medical aid station and store our supplies rather than bringing them back to New Orleans every day.” Once they had a base of operations, Niyogi and De Wulf started requesting volunteer staff through direct emails, their connections at the medical schools and community listservs. Soon, they had enough faculty physicians, residents, medical students and nurses to rotate through and support SLaMMA’s efforts. “We made sure we had adequate teams with attending physicians supervising for each day,” said De Wulf. “Materials were donated by mutual medical aid organizations and individual dona- tions. We also collaborated with the Terrebonne SLAMMA DUNKS AND SILVER LININGS Mutual Aid Team Provides Critical Storm Response to Avert Public Health Crisis 20 JAN / FEB 2022 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS