One of the lasting lessons learned in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, was that people with chronic health conditions suffered the most. In response, NHF has formed a coalition of national organizations interested in creating preparedness materials that will benefit people with a variety of health conditions.

On Tuesday, June 26, 2007, NHF will host its first coalition meeting at its national office in New York City. Coalition partners attending the meeting include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness, the American Sickle Cell Anemia Association, the Cooley’s Anemia Foundation and the Epilepsy Foundation. The goal of the coalition is to develop a national toolkit of emergency preparedness materials that can be customized to specific chronic health conditions, ensuring that individuals and families coping with these conditions will be prepared when natural disasters or other crises strike.

For more information, please contact Jennifer Crawford, NHF Manager of Education: jcrawford@hemophilia.org