Operation Eden

Pearlington, NOLA, and "The K-hole".

Since I can't seem to find Clayton's original blog post on any of the blogs, SO - I guess I'll just have to make a new one. Darn. LOL

The main thing is, his work is so instrumental in the rise of countless volunteers, including me. Without him, his incredible writing style, his uncanny way of capturing the truest essence of a person on film, so many people would not be driven to help. And now, hopefully, more will. His photographic eye is going to be used to create public service announcements to raise the awareness of the emotional toll The Storm has taken on all of those having lived through it.

Like the other blogs I follow and respect, I'll post occasional posts from his.

Some of his portaits:
http://www.claytoncubitt.com/publish/katrina/

His most recent post:
http://operationeden.blogspot.com/2006/08/tear-drop.html
Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Tear Drop

My heart hurts for my hometown, for the Gulf. I can't sleep at night, my chest is tight. These amazing people, the huge hugs they give, the smiles they flash, the parties they throw. If you've ever experienced their spirit you never forget it. That's what makes this so hard for me.
"Summing up what has happened since the hurricanes destroyed large parts of four Gulf Coast states last August, doctors from the departments of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina, Duke University Medical Center and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center paint a fairly grim picture of the instability that has followed:
• One survey found that 68 percent of female caregivers had a mental health disability because of symptoms of depression, anxiety or other psychiatric disorders.
• Another survey found that 19 percent of police officers and 22 percent of firefighters reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while 26 percent of police and 27 percent of firefighters reported major depressive symptoms.
• A crisis-call center in Mississippi handling inquiries mostly from people dealing with depression and anxiety reported a 61 percent increase in volume between March 1 and May 31, 2006, compared with the period just after the hurricanes, Oct 31 and Dec. 31, 2005.
• The deputy coroner of New Orleans recorded almost a threefold increase in suicide rates, from nine per 100,000 to 26 per 100,000 in the four months after Katrina hit. And the murder rate in New Orleans, which fell in 2005, has risen by 37.1 percent above pre-hurricane levels for the first half of 2006.
• In Louisiana, mental health counselors supported by federal government agencies made 158,260 referrals. This doesn't include people who sought support independently.
• Recent estimates suggest that only 140 of 617 primary-care physicians have returned to practice in New Orleans. Only 100 doctors along the Gulf Coast area are participating in the Medicaid program, compared to 400 before Katrina hit.
• And estimates also suggest that only 22 of 196 psychiatrists continue to practice in New Orleans, while the number of psychiatric hospital beds has been sharply reduced: as of June 14, the authors said, there were only two psychiatric beds within a 25-mile radius of New Orleans.

Part of the reason he's doing this campaign (taken from his blog)

The campaign hopes to help the victims and first responders who have been impacted by the hurricanes and are in need of mental health services. Those affected are encouraged to take a break, and assess how they and their families are handling the recovery. They are invited to call a confidential toll-free number: 1-800-789-2647 for victims, or 1-800-273-TALK for first responders to get help and speak to a trained mental health professional.

You can read Traveling Mermaid's post on the subject:
http://4travelingmermaid.blogspot.com/2006/08/post-katrina-mental-health-volunteers_15.html