2005 - 09-05-04

The health care situation here has
dramatically worsened overnight. Many
people in the hotel are elderly and small
children. There are ID physicians in at
this hotel attending an HiV confection. We
have commandered the world famous French
Quarter Bar to turn into an makeshift
clinic. There is a team of about 7 doctors
and PA and pharmacists. We anticipate that
this will be the major medical facility in
the central business district and French
Quarter.

Our biggest adventure today was raiding the
Walgreens on Canal under police escort.
The pharmacy was dark and fulll of water.
We basically scooped the entire drug sets
into gargace bags and removed them. All
under police excort. The looters had to be
held back at gun point. After a dose of
prophylactic Cipro I hope to be fine.

In all we are faring well. We have set up
a hospital in the the French Qarter bar in
the hotel, and will start admitting patients
today. Many with be from the hotel, but
many with not. We are anticipating to
dealing with multiple medical problems,
medications and and acute injuries.
Infection and perhaps even cholera are
anticipated major problems. Food and water
shortages are iminent.

The biggest question to all of us is where
is the national guard. We hear jet fighters
and helicopters, but no real armed presence,
and hence the rampant looting. There is no
Red Cross and no Salvation Army.

In a sort of cliché way, this is an edifying
experience. Once is rapidly focused away
from the transient and material to the bare
necessities of life. It has been
challenging to me to learn how to be a
primary care phyisican. We are under
martial law so return to our homes is
impossible. I don't know how long it will
be and this is my greatest fear. Despite it
all, this is a soul edify experience. The
greatest pain is to think about the loss.
And how long the rebuild will. And the
horror of so many dead people.