School of Nursing students and faculty are on-site in Mississippi, assisting the Hurricane Katrina-stricken community during Spring Break. Here’s an update:
The 30 participants comprised of students and faculty from the SON, School of Public Health and School of Social Work arrived in Biloxi, Miss., safely after a 15-hour bus ride. Students and faculty began work in the surrounding communities affected by Hurricane Katrina the following morning. Groups participated in a variety of outreach activities, including home health visits, construction with Habitat for Humanity and volunteering in a free medical clinic. Students were shocked to find the communities still in dire need of assistance and have found great satisfaction in helping those in need. For example, one group helped a family who had been living in a FEMA trailer since the storm move into a house they could now call home. The students helping the family felt a great sense of accomplishment and pride in serving this family and others like it. Students from each school have particularly enjoyed the interdisciplinary interaction during home visits that has proved beneficial in providing a more holistic approach to care. As we continue to get to know the community of Biloxi we look forward to the people we’ll meet and the impact we’ll have.
