HJNO Mar/Apr 2025

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  MAR / APR 2025 23 crisis team was also deployed to provide backup psychological support. Despite the chaos and enormity of the situation, everyone worked in sync, problem-solving together in real time. That’s what preparation is really about — not just having a plan, but having a team that trusts each other enough to pivot when reality demands it. LESSON #2: BASIC COMFORTS MATTER MORE THAN YOU THINK In the immediate aftermath of trauma, people don’t just need medical care, they need comfort, stability, and human connection. Family members arrived in various states of distress — some grieving, some search- ing, some completely in shock. One thing I know from previous training and experi- ence in psychological first aid (PFA) is that while we can’t change what has happened, we can help people by providing physical and emotional comfort as well as practi- cal assistance with basic resources, such as food or medical care. So, we made sure there were blankets, phone chargers, snacks, and even crayons and coloring pages for any children who had come with their families. These small, tan- gible comforts made an immediate differ- ence. When someone is cold, exhausted, and disconnected from their loved ones, a blan- ket or a way to charge their phone becomes more than just an object — it becomes a lifeline. Trauma recovery starts withmaking peo- ple feel safe. And sometimes, that starts with something as simple as a warm introduction and a compassionate presence. LESSON #3: FIRST RESPONDERS EXPERIENCE TRAUMA, TOO — AND WE MUST OVERCOME THE STIGMA OF ACKNOWLEDGING IT In the first two weeks after the attack, I received numerous requests for psycholog- ical debriefings from doctors, nurses, and EMS teams. These are people who deal with trauma every single day, and yet, this event rehearsed via mock exercises and tabletop discussions. Included in that plan was a protocol for our Trauma Recovery team that I developed years ago and periodically updated based on existing literature and a white paper developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE) that drew on information from interviews and discussions with prehospital and hospital staff who responded to recent incidents in other locations, such as the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas, and the Boston Marathon. In such an event, our teamwas prepared to assist and support family members and loved ones showing up in large numbers, desperate for answers, trying to reunite with loved ones, or mourning someone they just lost. And yet, on Jan. 1, I faced something I hadn’t fully accounted for: it was a holiday, and many of my key team members were out of town. While I was able to call some in, others simply weren’t in New Orleans. I hadn’t anticipated how a mass casualty incident unfolding on a holiday might impact response staffing. Still, the moment I walked into the hospital, I felt a sense of calm determination because I knew I wasn’t alone. University Medical Center is a Level 1 trauma center, and inmany ways, the work we do every day prepares us for these worst-case scenarios. Everyone in the hospital, from emergency medicine to EMS teams to our trauma doctors, was already working seamlessly in ways that felt almost instinctive. As gaps in my original plan became apparent, I leaned on our extended team. LCMC Chief Well-Being Officer Kristen Gradney called me on my way in, checking in to see how she could help. She and her team arrived within hours, offering additional hands to support the families. The Metropolitan Human Services District My job usually involves meeting people on or soon after the worst day of their lives. That may sound like a tough reality, but as director of the Seeds of NOLA Trauma Recovery Center at University Medical Cen- ter New Orleans, it’s something my team and I face every day. In this city, where vio- lence, accidents, and sudden loss are tragi- cally common, trauma isn’t an anomaly — it’s a daily reality. Frompatients who present to our hospital acutely injured or in critical condition, to their loved ones who are often in shock and grasping for answers, our role is to help them find stability, strength, and a path forward. The day-to-day work builds our fortitude for the hardest days. But no amount of prep- aration could make what happened on Jan. 1, 2025, feel routine. In the early hours of the morning, while many were just getting back from their New Year’s Eve parties, a mass casualty terrorist attack shook New Orleans and the entire country. Within moments, victims flooded UMC’s trauma center, and our interdisci- plinary team jumped into action. We mobi- lized immediately, not just to treat physical wounds, but to support survivors and loved ones through the first waves of psychologi- cal shock. In the weeks since, I’ve reflected deeply — not just on what happened that day, but on what it revealed about trauma recovery, resilience, and the work we do daily. I’ve sat with survivors, walked alongside grieving families, and supported hospital colleagues who, despite years of experience, were pro- foundly affected by the scale of this specific tragedy. As I reflect on that day and its after- math, several key lessons stand out — les- sons about trauma, healing, and the incred- ible strength shown by both survivors and caregivers. LESSON #1: PREPARATION IS EVERYTHING — BUT BE READY TO PIVOT IN REAL TIME Our hospital had a mass casualty incident response plan, which had been