Volume 15 | September 2020
Aligning Action for Health
In the wake of Hurricane Laura, communities throughout Louisiana are recovering from immense devastation. We, along with the Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI), are leveraging statewide infrastructure, services, partnerships, and individual support to assist with Louisiana’s response and recovery.

We are partnering with organizations in the hurricane-impacted communities to respond to immediate needs as assessed by LPHI staff who live and work in those areas. 
 
We know from past disasters the importance of moving quickly to address community needs, especially now when the situation has been further compounded by the severe impacts of COVID-19. In response, we have developed two levels of support opportunities.

  • Individual donations to address immediate needs such as cleaning supplies, food, personal protective equipment (PPE), and childcare items.
  • Partnership Opportunities to address longer term recovery and resiliency needs, including rapid response fund management, community action forums, public health response efforts, and government agency support. 
 
We are open to exploring other ideas as well. Please reach out to Michelle Lackovic to further discuss. 
Stay Safe During Clean-Up Efforts
Storm-related deaths can occur even after the storm has passed. Dangers like carbon monoxide poisoning, heatstroke, snake bites, and more can occur without warning.

Learn how to protect yourself with information from the CDC on preventing carbon monoxide poisoning and from the Louisiana Department of Health on vaccines, snake bites, and hidden floodwater dangers. Heat-related illnesses are also something to monitor during clean up. The CDC provides an overview of warning signs and symptoms here.

Other general safety tips during storm clean up include:

  • Wear proper protective gear
  • Take breaks and stay hydrated
  • Open windows when using bleach to clean mold
  • Use caution when working with machinery like chain saws and wood chippers
  • Work with other people so you aren't alone
How Can We Support You?
Our recovery from COVID-19, hurricanes, and other natural disasters is strengthened when we work together, share resources, and identify and respond to the needs of impacted communities, particularly communities impacted by inequities.
 
We want to hear from you: what assistance do you need to address your organization’s needs and those of the communities you serve? Examples of assistance include:

  • Facilitating connections to people or organizations
  • Providing access to training and educational opportunities
  • Identifying relevant resources

We are working with the CDC, Tulane University School of Public Health, and other state and federal partners to address your needs.
 
Your feedback is important. Please email us directly (mlackovic@lphi.org) or fill out a request form here. The form is also available in Spanish here.
Training Information
LPHI utilizes Tulane's Learning Management System (LMS) to provide free online hurricane, emergency, and public health preparedness-related courses. TRAIN Learning Network is another platform that offers courses for public health, healthcare, behavioral health, preparedness, and other health professionals.

Those interested in taking LMS trainings can fill out and submit the new user form here. Please note that new accounts may take up to one business day (24 hours) for approval. Once an account has been set up, users have access to the full library of trainings. For information on TRAIN courses, click here.

Additional courses listed below are through Tulane's Learning Management System (LMS) and include but are not limited to:


Additional LMS courses are being created and will be announced as they become available. More frequent updates are available via the LA-HRH Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Additional Info on the HRH Initiative
The Hurricane Response Hub (HRH) initiative is a coordinated effort among federal, state, and local public health organizations to facilitate training, technical assistance, and information sharing to enhance ongoing environmental and occupational health recovery in jurisdictions affected by the 2017 Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

As the National Coordinating Center for Public Health Training (NCCPHT), NNPHI is coordinating efforts across five technical assistance centers led by public health institutes and public health training centers.
Funding for this project has been provided to the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) through a Cooperative Agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC – NU1ROT000004-01-00). NNPHI is collaborating with the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health on this project. The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

The LPHI, founded in 1997, is a statewide 501(c)(3) nonprofit and public health institute that translates evidence into strategy to optimize health ecosystems. Our work focuses on uncovering complementary connections across sectors to combine the social, economic, and human capital needed to align action for health. We champion health for people, within systems, and throughout communities because we envision a world where everyone has the opportunity to be healthy. For more information, visit www.lphi.org.