Sioux City Mercy Sends Supplies to Lousiana

From the Sioux City Journal:

Mercy Medical Center-Sioux City Friday sent needed medical supplies to the federal Disaster Medical Assistance Team supporting Christus St. Patrick Hospital in Sioux City's sister city, Lake Charles, La.

The shipment of several thousand syringes, suture staplers and other supplies came at the request of Mercy emergency physician Dr. Thomas Benzoni who is working with other members of the DMAT to provide medical care to the victims of Hurricane Rita and evacuees from areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

"Christus St. Patrick Hospital has seen its patient volumes increase by 250 percent," Benzoni said Thursday from Lake Charles. "While the hospital is doing an excellent job meeting patients' needs under such extenuating circumstances, it became apparent that additional medical supplies would be very helpful."

Since Monday, Benzoni has been working with other federal DMAT members who have been triaging and treating patients at Christus St. Patrick. Their frontline triage center was intended to serve as a kind of cordon around the hospital in order to preserve the emergency room's staff and resources for more serious injuries or illnesses.