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With Hurricane Ike expected to reach Texas in the next day or two, the American Medical Association Center for Public Health Preparedness and Disaster Response is supporting and providing expertise for a possible medical and public health response there.
Italo Subbarao, director of the AMA’s Public Health Readiness Office, is in Austin and helping plan a response effort as a member of the Texas Medical Special Operations Team. Reports from numerous individuals who have provided support in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav have noted the value of training courses they’ve taken as part of the AMA’s National Disaster Life Support™ program.
Physicians who may provide care for evacuees of the storm are invited to register with ICERx.org, a private, secure online resource that provides available medication history information for patients evacuated from their homes.
Developed by the AMA, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the National Community Pharmacists Association, government agencies and others to help health care professionals assist disaster-affected individuals, ICERx.org provides prescription data only to U.S.-licensed physicians and pharmacists who have registered. Armed with this information, health care professionals will be able to effectively assist in the coordination of care and safely renew prescriptions for evacuees while avoiding harmful prescription errors and potential drug interactions.
Visit http://www.icerx.org to view this resource. U.S.-licensed physicians can register by calling (888) 423–7950 and following the appropriate prompts. Since evacuees could be relocated to other communities, physicians outside the affected areas are encouraged to register.
Last Published: 9/11/2008 Print this page
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