Since Hurricane Katrina so violently visited the Gulf Region, VA facilities throughout the country have geared up to support veteran victims, VA employees and their families, and all those in need.

The Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the next door neighbor of the Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH), prepared to lend its support immediately upon learning of the evacuation of the retirement home's sister center in Gulfport, Mississippi.

The U.S. Naval Home in Gulfport was established in 1812 to serve indigent sailors and Marines. It later merged with the U.S. Soldiers' and Airmen's Home in Washington, D.C. Both homes are now known as the Armed Forces Retirement Home and provide affordable independent and assisted living to senior and disabled military retirees.

Active duty military personnel have supported the operation, since its beginnings, with a monthly paycheck contribution of a penny. That has now jumped to a whopping 50 cents. An independent federal agency, the Armed Forces Retirement Home, supports itself without annual appropriations from Congress, through these paycheck contributions and a Trust Fund.

When the seaside Gulfport Armed Forces Retirement Home was decimated by Hurricane Katrina, the 416 elderly residents hastily tossed their few salvaged belongings in plastic bags and boarded buses for Washington, DC. Their medical records were washed away along with family photos, treasured heirlooms and the place they called home. Along the route, several became ill and were admitted to hospitals during a stop in Atlanta, Georgia. Others made arrangements to meet their loved ones.

On September 1, 322 exhausted and worried veterans arrived at AFRH. Staff of the Washington DC VA Medical Center (DCVAMC) was on hand to meet them and begin the enrollment process.

Military retirees already receiving VA healthcare through the VA Gulf Coast Veterans Healthcare System had their medications prescribed, filled and delivered to their new rooms within 2 hours of their clinical visits. Medical records, including images, were available in one to two days. No medical records followed those retirees who had not previous enrolled, but DCVAMC staff registered them quickly, established new electronic records and replaced their medications.

The Washington DC VA Medical Center was able to quickly and effectively support the evacuees in large part due to the availability of electronic records. Fifteen computer workstations were set-up at the Armed Forces Retirement Home and within minutes of the arrival of the evacuees, a walk-in clinic was established. To date, nearly 300 military retirees have been registered and have met with a DCVAMC clinician and/or a social worker. Approximately twenty of the Gulfport evacuees were in need of hospitalization.

The Medical Center's staff of physicians, nurses, social workers, psychologists and enrollment personnel exemplifies VA dedication to outstanding care. They worked tirelessly late into the evenings and on weekends (The evacuees arrived just prior to Labor Day weekend.) to provide support for this vulnerable and deserving group of veterans.

DCVAMC staff is also visiting the Washington, DC Armory on a regular basis. To date thirty-six veterans needing services have been identified. Several have been admitted to the hospital.

From the outset, social workers responded to meet the urgent needs of this vulnerable population. This included identifying individuals needing higher levels of care and moving them to appropriate settings, providing much needed counseling, assisting with financial concerns; such as getting addresses changed for pension checks. Social Workers used their own cell phones to help contact family members and put missing family names on the FEMA website. They took care of getting batteries for hearing aides, helped find missing belongings and in some cases hand delivered medications to resident rooms.

As days passed the team began to see increasing mental health needs such as stress, anxiety and panic reactions. Mental Health social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists were deployed. A VA Mental Health Clinic is now operating at the Armed Forces Retirement Home.

Pharmacy Service staff has filled over 1,200 prescriptions to date. And, the entire Medical Center is participating in a fund raising drive to collect money, clothing, personal care and entertainment items for the residents.

Although veteran survivors of Hurricane Katrina have suffered significant losses, VA is meeting the needs of those now residing in Washington, DC due, in large part, to the dedicated staff of the Washington DC VA Medical Center.