A report released Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation examines health and access to care challenges after Hurricane Katrina, ABC News reports (Schaffhausen, ABC News, 8/8). The new report, based on responses of more than 40 low-income Katrina survivors, includes information on survivors' experiences in accessing health care and living and financial situations after the hurricane (Kaiser Family Foundation release, 8/8). Almost all survivors had emotional or mental trauma, and few reported receiving formal counseling. The destruction of area health facilities and a lack of transportation and information made it difficult for survivors to access health care. Some survivors went without medical care or medicine for weeks and, in some cases, months, according to the report. The report adds, "Those who were uninsured continued to describe major problems connecting with care due to long waits, limited health care resources and unaffordable costs" nearly one year after the storm (Abruzzese, CQ HealthBeat, 8/8). The foundation also produced a short film, based on interviews with survivors and providers, that follows individuals whose lives have been affected by the hurricane and that follows their experiences coping with health needs (Kaiser Family Foundation release, 8/8). In addition, a foundation survey of 1,217 adults across the country finds that 52% believe there is "major work" yet to be done to help New Orleans and 30% said the city is still "in crisis" when asked what best describes the situation in New Orleans today. Further, 70% believe most people affected by the hurricane have not received the help they need (Walsh, New Orleans Times-Picayune, 8/9). In addition, 60% say they think about Katrina and its aftermath at least somewhat often, and 53% say that the government's handling of Katrina has had a negative impact on their confidence in government overall (Kaiser Family Foundation release, 8/8).

Forum Discussion
At a forum held by the foundation, a panel discussed the outstanding obstacles to the New Orleans-area health system. Kaiser Family Foundation President and CEO Drew Altman said Americans "have a pretty realistic view" of the situation in the Gulf Coast region. Panelist David Dosa, an assistant professor of medicine at Brown Medical School, said the New Orleans area has a continued shortage of mental health providers, nursing staff and facilities. According to CQ HealthBeat, many nursing homes are struggling because they have not received payments for care since last year. Irwin Redlener, president of the Children's Health Fund and director of the National Center for Preparedness at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, said that health issues have gone from "mildly out of control" a few months ago to "wildly out of control" today. Fred Cerise, secretary for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, said the hurricane offered the area an opportunity to reinvent and rebuild a system, but high costs have affected that opportunity. Karen DeSalvo, chief of general internal medicine at the Tulane University Health Sciences Center said that the goal for rebuilding a system should be to start with linking decentralized care facilities to a central organization where patients could be referred for testing or serious medical issues. She added, however, that such a move could take as long as eight years (CQ HealthBeat, 8/8). A webcast of the panel discussion and access to the reports and film are available online.