Hurricane Gustav Threatens Texas to Mobile, Including New Orleans

 

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact Person:
Joycelyn Woods, Executive Director
edirector@methadone.org
1.212.595.6262

For Release
August 31, 2008

 

While most Americans are enjoying the Labor Day Weekend residents from Galveston. TX to Mobile, Alabama are being warned about Hurricane Gustav. In the middle of the estimated path is New Orleans.

 

NAMA has already begun to get phone calls from patients in the area who are being told to evacuate.  One patient was just given 4 days medication and no other instructions in the case they could not return.  Neither were they provided with a letter stating their dose and other information.

Advise to Patients

If you need to evacuate get a letter from your clinic.  The standard Travel Letter that is given to patients should be enough that states you are patient, that you need to take ____ mgs of methadone a day and information about contacting the clinic.

Get a list of programs in the area in case you can not get back to your program and the State Methadone Authority.

 

New Orleans Programs

DRD New Orleans Medical Clinic
417 South Johnson Street
New Orleans, LA 70112 (504) 524-4701

Desire Narcotic Rehabilitation Ctr Inc
4116 Old Gentilly Road
New Orleans, LA 70126 (504) 301-8871

New Orleans Narcotic Treatment Center
7606 Westbank Expressway
Marrero, LA 70072 (504) 347-1120

Choices of Louisiana Inc
128 Woodland Drive
La Place, LA 70068 (985) 651-3777

Baton Rouge Treatment Center Inc
11445 Reiger Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70809 (225) 932-9867

If you need a program farther than New Orleans or you are in another state you can use the Treatment Facility Locator at:

 http://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/

State Methadone Authorities

Brenda  Lands
Louisiana Office for Addictive Disorders 
1201 Capital Access Road, 4th Floor 
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Telephone: (225) 342-8735 
Fax: (225) 342-3931 

Christine  Ramirez
1100 West 49th Street 
Austin, TX 78756-3199
Telephone: (512) 834-6700 x2146 
Fax: (512) 834-6638 

Robert  Wynn
Department of Mental Health
P.O. Box 301410, 100 North Union Street
Montgomery, AL 36130-1410
Telephone: (334) 242-3956
Fax: (334) 242-0759

 

NAMA will continue to post information as it becomes available.

Put the Blog on Your Website

Subject: Announcement
Date: September 5, 2005

You can get a sitefeed for your website that will display the posts and messages on the Blog.

The Sitefeed Link is:
http://namahurricanehelp.blogspot.com/atom.xml

What is a site feed?

When a blog is published, Blogger automatically generates a machine-readable representation of your blog that can be picked up and displayed on other web sites and information aggregation tools.

Special pieces of software called Newsreaders (or Aggregators) can scan these feeds, automatically letting you know when the sites have updated. Examples are FeedDemon (Windows), Bloglines (web-based), and NetNewsWire and Shrook (Mac OS X). More are listed at AtomEnabled.org.

One reason to syndicate a blog is to gain a wider audience by attracting aggregator users. Other reasons are discussed at WebMonkey, Software Garden and Mezzoblue.

For more information on enabling a sitefeed, see:

FeedDemon
http://www.bradsoft.com/feeddemon/

Bloglines
http://bloglines.com/

NetNewsWire
http://ranchero.com/netnewswire/

Shrook (MAC)
http://www.fondantfancies.com/shrook/

An Atom Enabled Org
http://www.atomenabled.org/everyone/atomenabled/index.php?c=5

Webmonkey
http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/03/17/index3a.html?tw=authoring

Software Garden
http://rss.softwaregarden.com/aboutrss.html

MezzoBlue
http://mezzoblue.com/archives/2004/05/19/what_is_rssx/

Give Them What They Deserve File a Grievance/Compliment Report

Subject: Official Announcement
Date: September 4, 2005

Grievance/Compliment Report: http://www.methadone.org/grievance_report.html

Some Are Heros, Others Are &<¿µ&>§"¢<

Disasters bring out the best in some people but for others it is the worst. Is there someone out there -- an agency, program, person who has done something above and beyond what is required of them that you would like to thank. Give them a Compliment Report from NAMA. It is investigated just like a Grievance Report except the investigation is about something good.

There are already a number of Grievances that could be filed against an agency, program and support people. Usually these kind of Grievances are the kind of complaints that can be verified without your name being brought up. This is the way to let them know that at least someone was watching them -- maybe more because the person or agency will not know who filed it and even how many were filed.

It's the only way to let them know. And reports about the Katrina Disaster will provide NAMA with information about where the system is failing. We will forward any information that receive to the proper agency.

A Patient in New Orleans Tells Story

Subject: From We Speak Methadone
Date: September 4, 2005

Contact: Eric

Website: http://www.readybb.com/nama_wespeakmethadone/index.php

I am from new orleans, St. Bernard Parish actually... my house is destroyed (20+ feet water); but anyways... I went to DRD, been going there for the past 2 years. We got 4 days worth of takehomes', although it was a 3-4 hour wait at our clinic due to the director unexpectedly receiving a call to issue extra carries due to the impending storm...

I easily got into a clinic near Lafayette (about 1 hour from Baton Rouge); showed them my bottles and clinic ID and had no problem being dosed in under 10 minutes... although the next few days it got REALLY busy, with 100s of patients from N.O. signing up for the only clinic in the area... There were rumors in the waiting room about possibly staying open for longer hours, but none of this is confirmed as of yet...

AN UPDATE FROM THE SMA IN LA

Subject: Unofficial Announcement
Date: September 1, 2005

Contact: Rokki Baker
NAMA, Chapter Coordiator

From We Speak Methadone
Website: http://www.readybb.com/nama_wespeakmethadone/index.php

I just got off the phone with the SMA in LA about the concern for methadone patients in New Orleans. 1st of all they have been working really hard to make sure patients are being taken care of. The pharmacutical companies have donated methadone for the over 200 patients they have right now...they will be setting up a spot at the Baton Rouge Hospital for dosing and Kaye told me that her Agency will be realeasing a press release sometime today. I asked Kay what I could do to help to get word out and she said it to just pass along the info and about the press release. I think they have done a fine job.

So...Thanks to the Pharmacutical companies for donating the methadone for our patients in New Orleans and lets hope and pray that now that they have the patients, since the evac, that they will be taken care of.

Also, Thanks to the SMA and Kaye, for taking time out of her very busy day to call me back and talk to me and explain what was going on there. She told me "Rest assured that everything is being done to make all the patients are being properly medicated"......she said "Patients" too and not Clients...I was so tickled

Maybe when the press release comes out we can post it here at WSM,Hoss? Just to give a small helping hand to to get that info out???

Lets keep sending our prayers to everyone struck down in this awful loss....

Be Safe Everyone

CRC's Baton Rouge Clinic

Subject: Informal Announcement
Date: September 1, 2005

Contact: Terri Martinez

A.T. Watchdog

Website: http://www.readybb.com/watchdog/index.php


A.T. Watchdog Wrote:


CRC's Baton Rouge Clinic is also guest dosing as many patients as possible.

Contact info is -

Baton Rouge Treatment Center, Inc.
11445 Reiger Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70809
Phone: (225)932-9867

Austin, Texas

Subject: Announcement
Date: August 31, 2005

Contact: Kim Comstock

From A.T. Watchdog

Website: http://www.readybb.com/watchdog/index.php

Hurricane Relief Dosing in Texas

We are already getting transfers from new Orleans. I know Houston, Austin, and San Antonio are already dosing patients. There has been a lot of communication betwen clincis and with the state and federal authorities. Every program in Texas should be able to dose patients and if patients can't pay there has been a committment (verbal, so far) from TDSHS to reimburse clinics.

However there are some requirements that need to met for a patient to be dosed. Patients that do not meet these requirements should be handled on an individual bases w/communication w/state and feds.

Some of the requirements include:

1. A vaild picture ID
   


2. Doumentation from home clinic w/patients name, dose, address,etc.. (this should be on an empty dose bottle or receipt)
   for now, the patients will only be allowed daily dosing
   

Apparently many of the programs in LA gave only two take homes. Thats why we have had the influx today. My fear is that these are the people who evacuated BEFORE the storm. They had a plan. What about the majority of the people who remained and had to be evacuated after the storm. I suspect they'll be much less prepared (lacking documentation, in withdrawal, etc..) Its just overwhelming to think of the hardships these people are going through. It feels good to be able to help in some small way. In fact, I wonder if people on methadone might get more attention than the majority of people housed in stadiums (thats where many of them are) because they will be getting one-on-one counseling, referals for assistance, etc... Our staff is already trying to put together clothes and working on other ways to help.

I have to say kudos to the state of Texas for organizing fast enough to already approve funded treatment for these patients and many other individuals w/special needs (such as psychiatric). And thank you Terri for this site (A.T. Watchdog). Its a great place to share info in a situation such as this.

New Orleans

Subject: Informal Announcement
Date: August 31, 2005

Contact: Terri Martinez
A.T. Watchdog

Website: http://www.readybb.com/watchdog/index.php


A.T. Watchdog Wrote:

I've heard through the grapevine that some clinics in the storm area may be underwater. Many patients can't get to their clinics and on top of all this destruction, are probably suffering withdrawal.

If at all possible, go to a local hospital and explain the situation. Take an ID card, an empty takehome bottle or anything else that will prove you are a MAT patient. You can also try contacting your physician.

ALL clinics are supposed to have an emergency plan in effect, but IME very few actually do.

Try to contact your clinic's emergency phone number, if they have one. If not, try to contact the main office of the clinic (if they are owned by a corporation, etc.).

You can also try contacting your State Methadone Authority. Contact info can be found at www.atwatchdog.org/sma.html

If none of those suggestions work, try contacting CSAT -

Via Telephone:
Phone: (240) 276-2700
Fax: (240) 276-2710

Via Email:
E-mail: otp@samhsa.hhs.gov

Baton Rouge

Subject: Announcement
Date: September 1, 2005

Contact: Margaret Mitchell, Director, State Office of Mental Health

Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals

Contact Phone: (225) 342-2548

Mental Health/Hurricane Katrina

If you are a displaced resident of Louisiana and are in need of mental
health/medication please contact 225-922-2700. You should be able to get
medication if you have the pill bottle or a prescription.

If you wish to locate adults/children transferred from NOAH and SELH please
contact 225-634-0217

Red Cross Hotline-To search for displaced family members 1-800-256-4733

People looking specifically for help with patients in nursing homes,
hospitals who needed to evacuate call 225-763-5749

For information on your Medicaid benefits in other states:

Pharmacy - 1-800-437-9101

General Medicaid Questions - 1-888-342-6207

Instructions and Purpose

This Blog was created to give you the ability to post messages both official from agencies and personal to family and friends. Agencies that post information please indicate that this an official post. This is also a good please to collect information about what is working and what is not and what programs have vacancies and which are full. And if you are just looking for a friend you can post a message here.

NAMA believe that the more information that is available that patients will have more opportunities and be able to make better decisions about what to do or where to go.

Joycelyn Woods, MA, CMA
President