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Eric Siedenburg, MD, Visits Louisiana to Aid in Hurricane Relief

Contact: Sarah Hay
800.476.1504
hays@cep.com

(October 2005, Emeryville, California)-- Dr. Eric Siedenburg of Saddleback Memorial Medical Center recently traveled to New Orleans with a team of physicians, nurses and a chaplain to aid in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

His team assisted the temporary triage centers at Louisiana State University campus and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. According to Dr. Siedenburg, the campus facility was comparable to a regular hospital, and the process was very efficient given the circumstances. “Even more impressive was the turnout of other volunteers,” says Dr. Siedenburg. “People were there from every corner of the country,” he adds. The team saw patients, provided medical treatment, and helped contact hurricane victims’ family members.

The hospital at LSU

During his trip, Dr. Siedenburg flew over the devastated areas in a Blackhawk with the 244th army air unit. “To see the damage first hand is incredible and very difficult to express,” he reflects. As Dr. Siedenburg explains, the army unit had just returned from Iraq in February and the men were still dealing with the stress, when they were called upon to fly rescue missions over their own flooded and destroyed homes. At one point, the group’s chaplain visited the Superdome, where she was able to council many of the rescuers and guardsmen. According to Dr. Siedenburg, she said a prayer over the grounds for all those who lost their lives and those who had witnessed events they were powerless to stop.

Since his return, many people have asked Dr. Siedenburg what they can do to help. “The answer is many-fold,” he explains. “Obviously giving whatever you can in monetary contributions is going to be essential for the continued care of the evacuees.” In terms of disaster readiness, Dr. Siedenburg stresses the importance of self-sufficiency. He recommends preparing a store of supplies to last several days, as well as a list of emergency contacts with addresses and numbers. He also suggests designating a person outside one’s immediate area to use as a contact and meeting point. Additionally, he advises hospitals to formulate disaster plans and urges medical professionals to familiarize themselves with such plans.

Of his experience with the relief team, Dr. Siedenburg says, “It was exhausting and emotionally draining. We returned changed forever.”

Dr. Siedenburg with part of his team

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Eric Siedenburg is a Partner in California Emergency Physicians Medical Group (CEP). CEP was founded in 1975 and is the leading provider of physician staffing, management, and consulting services for Emergency Department and Ambulatory Care Practices in California. CEP includes more than 1,000 providers who treat over 2.5 million patients each year. For more information on CEP, visit their website at www.cep.com.

View a related article: Dr. Siedenburg featured as CAL/ACEP's "Doc of the Month"