Radio Command: "I am an admiral with the U.S. Navy. You are in the direct path of a battleship. Alter your course immediately."
Radio Reply: "No, sir. You must alter your course. I am a lighthouse."
Be the Lighthouse: Practicing Medicine in a Disaster Zone
By Sarah West
• Chicago
10/4/2007
"I believe we have to be lighthouses," said FP Regina Benjamin, M.D., M.B.A., founder and CEO of BayouClinic Inc. (formerly the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic) in Bayou La Batre, Ala., in her lecture "Family Medicine in a Disaster Zone" at the AAFP Scientific Assembly here Oct. 3. "We need to stand our ground and do what needs to be done to make a difference in our communities."
A survivor of Hurricane Katrina, Benjamin shared her insights about how to practice family medicine in a disaster zone. After Katrina, 2,000 of the 2,500 citizens of Bayou La Batre were without homes. Benjamin's clinic also was destroyed. When she attempted to make house calls, she discovered people were gathering in a shelter. So, off she went to set up a makeshift clinic, which quickly became the community center.
"Everyone was interested in exotic diseases caused by the hurricane," said Benjamin, who, among many recognitions, has been named Woman of the Year by CBS This Morning. "But it was basic primary care that was needed." Patients were dealing with chronic conditions in the midst of the destruction. Their medications were lost, asthma machines were destroyed, care was disrupted -- all while dealing with tremendous property losses.
Perhaps fortunately, when Benjamin first began practicing, she "quickly learned that practicing medicine wasn’t just about sewing up the shark bites. I knew the prescription pad I was holding wasn’t enough. I had to deal with the land sharks -- the regulators, the reviewers, the red tape dispensers. I learned how to help my patients in any way I could." She put this knowledge to good use post-Katrina.
Numerous circumstances threatened to interfere with recovery in the area. Satellite communication was disrupted. International disaster relief groups initially were denied access. Physicians who came from out of state were turned away because of licensing issues. (Notably, as chair-elect of the Federation of State Medical Boards, Benjamin hopes to help implement portable licensure for physicians, with unrestricted licenses.) Authorities were not empowered to adjust policies. Patients met with challenges regarding insurance coverage and access to care. These issues need to be addressed at a federal level, noted Benjamin.
One year after the 2004 tsunami in Phuket, Thailand, Benjamin went to a conference there to see how response to that disaster was handled and to bring back ideas. When she returned, she had a new job: to help form an organization called Rebuild the Bayou that could bring aid groups together and organize them.
"One person can make a difference -- whether it’s a medical policy or a medical practice," said Benjamin. "You can change the direction of the battleship just by being there."
A survivor of Hurricane Katrina, Benjamin shared her insights about how to practice family medicine in a disaster zone. After Katrina, 2,000 of the 2,500 citizens of Bayou La Batre were without homes. Benjamin's clinic also was destroyed. When she attempted to make house calls, she discovered people were gathering in a shelter. So, off she went to set up a makeshift clinic, which quickly became the community center.
"Everyone was interested in exotic diseases caused by the hurricane," said Benjamin, who, among many recognitions, has been named Woman of the Year by CBS This Morning. "But it was basic primary care that was needed." Patients were dealing with chronic conditions in the midst of the destruction. Their medications were lost, asthma machines were destroyed, care was disrupted -- all while dealing with tremendous property losses.
Perhaps fortunately, when Benjamin first began practicing, she "quickly learned that practicing medicine wasn’t just about sewing up the shark bites. I knew the prescription pad I was holding wasn’t enough. I had to deal with the land sharks -- the regulators, the reviewers, the red tape dispensers. I learned how to help my patients in any way I could." She put this knowledge to good use post-Katrina.
Numerous circumstances threatened to interfere with recovery in the area. Satellite communication was disrupted. International disaster relief groups initially were denied access. Physicians who came from out of state were turned away because of licensing issues. (Notably, as chair-elect of the Federation of State Medical Boards, Benjamin hopes to help implement portable licensure for physicians, with unrestricted licenses.) Authorities were not empowered to adjust policies. Patients met with challenges regarding insurance coverage and access to care. These issues need to be addressed at a federal level, noted Benjamin.
One year after the 2004 tsunami in Phuket, Thailand, Benjamin went to a conference there to see how response to that disaster was handled and to bring back ideas. When she returned, she had a new job: to help form an organization called Rebuild the Bayou that could bring aid groups together and organize them.
"One person can make a difference -- whether it’s a medical policy or a medical practice," said Benjamin. "You can change the direction of the battleship just by being there."
