Sharon Walters, Nonna Bullock and Cheryl Tucker work at Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans. Nonna Bullock (center) leaves her family in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, four days a week to work in New Orleans.
Photo: CNN News
* Three years after Katrina, New Orleans health-care system still struggling
* Six major hospitals have closed; others left to pick up patient load
* 50 percent of area residents have had problems getting medical care
By Danielle Dellorto
CNN
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN), April 29, 2008:
Think your commute is bad? Imagine driving 280 miles roundtrip to work.
That's what Mississippi resident Nonna Bullock does. For Bullock, working four days a week in New Orleans wasn't something she was required to do, it was a choice.
"The people of New Orleans needed me," she said simply.
Bullock is among a handful of nurses who make personal sacrifices to work at Tulane Medical Center in inner-city New Orleans. "I saw how difficult it was to keep up," she said. "[They] needed more nurses, more hospital beds and more doctors down here. I was up for the challenge."
With six major hospitals shutting down after Hurricane Katrina, other institutions, including Tulane, have been left to pick up the overflow of patients. Other hospitals, like East Jefferson General, saw a steep reduction in staff. More than 100 of their nurses left after Katrina hit the city and have not returned.
Dr. James Moises, Tulane's emergency department director, experiences the strain firsthand. "Every time I come to work, it's a challenge. Not a challenge in trying to make the patient better, but a challenge in terms of logistics. The system is so stretched, we have to look outside for nursing staff and physicians."
Read on....
Luckily, for New Orleans residents and visitors, nurses such as Nonna Bullock are traveling from afar to provide high-quality care.
For Bullock, the busy shifts and long commute are all worth it. "I've had a lot of patients thank me for coming from Mississippi," she said. "They thank me for simply being here ... and it feels good."
© 2008 Cable News Network
