News Release

Estimates Show More Than 40 Percent of Hurricane Evacuees Now Receiving HHS Benefits or Services

HHS and U.S. Public Health Service providing unprecedented support to hurricane victims

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced today that in the month since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, an estimated more than 20 percent of all those affected by the storms and who have filed for FEMA assistance are now receiving HHS benefits and services. Furthermore, 41 percent of the 857,000 evacuees living in a different zip code from the damaged areas are receiving help from HHS.

Because many victims of the hurricane no longer have the records or legal documents to help prove their eligibility for benefits from various government programs, HHS has given states the flexibility to enroll evacuees without requiring documents such as tax returns or proof of residency. This action permits evacuees to apply to the full range of federal benefits administered by the states, including HHS programs that provide services through Medicaid, family assistance through Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), child care support, foster care assistance, mental health services and substance abuse treatment services.

�Based on preliminary reports, we estimate that more than 40 percent of hurricane evacuees who have been displaced from their homes are getting help from HHS,� Secretary Leavitt said. �Working with our partners at the state and local level, we have streamlined the process for all evacuees who may need access to the range of benefits we can provide to get back on their feet.�

In the days following Katrina�s landfall, HHS provided:

• Waivers to a number of states, including Texas, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama and Idaho, to make it easier for eligible evacuees to receive services through the state�s Medicaid and State Children�s Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP), and to make states whole for their generosity.
• Uncompensated care pools to Texas, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama and Idaho to help compensate physicians, hospitals and other health care providers who provide needed medical treatment to evacuees who do not currently have health insurance and are ineligible for Medicaid or SCHIP.
• $2.3 million in accelerated grants to establish 26 new health center sites in states impacted by Hurricane Katrina.
• $15 million in emergency funding to assist Head Start and Early Head Start grantees in providing services to children and families displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
• $600,000 in emergency grants to Louisiana, Alabama, Texas and Mississippi to insure that mental health assessment and crisis counseling are available in areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina.
• $750,000 in disaster relief funds to Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi to reestablish the service capacity of state and local entities that deliver services to the aging and elderly.
• Free vaccines through the federally-run Vaccines for Children program to all children from birth to 18 years old displaced by Hurricane Katrina, regardless of whether they are staying at shelters, hotels, or with family and friends and regardless of previous health insurance coverage status.
• $27.25 million in emergency energy assistance to Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

In addition to expediting access to the department�s benefits and services following the storm, HHS began providing assistance to the region before Katrina made landfall, and has been augmenting medical care in affected hospitals and shelters, providing human and mental health services to the evacuee population since the storm passed.

�Before Hurricane Katrina hit, HHS had 38 U.S. Public Health Service officers and more than 30 tons of medical supplies prepositioned in Mississippi and Louisiana and ready to deploy immediately after the storm passed. Ever since, we have continued to provide the Gulf Coast region with needed health care assistance and medical equipment and supplies,� Secretary Leavitt said.

In response to the health care needs in affected states, the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, one of the nation�s seven uniformed services, carried out the largest mobilization in its 207-year history. More than 1,400 officers from more than 40 states came together over the last month to work with state, local and private agencies in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. One month after Katrina hit, the Corps still has 700 officers providing relief services along the Gulf Coast and in areas with evacuees.

�The selfless dedication of these officers has made a difference in the lives of thousands of Americans in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita,� said Vice Admiral Richard Carmona, U.S. Surgeon General and commander of the Public Health Service. �Their contributions to the relief effort have been as diverse as their professions and training, and I could not be prouder of their efforts than I am at this defining moment.�

In addition to the Commissioned Corps, the PHS for the first time deployed the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), a cadre of civilian volunteers across the country who are trained and ready to help with emergencies and ongoing public health activities. President Bush created the MRC in 2002 as a way to strengthen local public health infrastructures and improve emergency preparedness at the community level. More than 6,500 members of the MRC have been activated to help with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Other highlights of HHS� hurricane response include:

• HHS Secretary�s Emergency Response Teams (SERTs) are working in the three most critical states -- Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Each SERT is led by a U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Rear Admiral, who reports directly to HHS Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
• Secretary Leavitt activated the entire USPHS Commissioned Corps to respond to Hurricane Katrina. Since landfall, nearly 1,500 USPHS officers have served as part of the response effort.
• HHS now has the equipment and supplies for 18 Federal Medical Shelters, each with a 250-bed capability.
• A new volunteer health care worker disaster response hotline and Web site received more than 30,000 applications. As a result, HHS has been able to credential more than 3,800 health care professionals who are now ready to be sent to help, if needed, as temporary federal employees.
• The Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) has sent more than $38 million worth of pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies to areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Many of the basic pharmaceuticals were in place within hours of the hurricane�s passage.

For complete coverage of HHS� hurricane response activities, please visit: http://www.hhs.gov/emergency/hurricane.html.