This book is a first-hand account of nurses' and health professionals' experiences during Hurricane Katrina. It presents the perspectives of nurses, and informs the reader about the delivery of care to patients in hospitals affected by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Structured thematically per hospital - before the storm, during the storm, and the aftermath - this book features testimony from nurses and health professionals who were there, and who remain in the city serving patient populations. The book - written in collaboration with a nurse historian, Dr. Barbara Mann Wall - includes a brief history of nursing in New Orleans with a focus on previous natural and man-made disasters endured by the city, its residents, and health care communities. It is also a vital resource for Registered Nurses (RNs), graduate students, and doctorally-prepared healthcare educators and managers/administrators. It offers suggestions on how to restore primary and critical care services in New Orleans. It utilizes the Katrina catastrophe to discuss nurse disaster preparations nationally. It features the stories about health care delivery that nurses need to know in a city in crisis. It presents lessons learned and guidance for future disaster response.
