Eugene, Ore. - August 28, 2008 - Members of the statewide Oregon
Disaster Medical Assistance (DMAT) Team have been activated to
pre-position for Hurricane Gustav in the gulf coast along with eleven
other Federal disaster medical teams. Members are set to depart from
Oregon and Washington on Thursday, August 28, three years to the day
after many of them pre-deployed for Hurricane Katrina, and two years to
the day after a 2006 deployment for Hurricane Ernesto. "Our team, along
with other National Disaster Medical Teams, will assemble and stage in
locations determined by NDMS and other federal coordinating agencies,
ready to support the people of the Gulf Coast states impacted by
Hurricane Gustav. We plan, strategize and hold our breath, along with
everyone else, until the hurricane path becomes apparent. Then we will
receive our missions from our command and quickly head out." Team
Leader, Dr. Helen Miller explains.

Hurricane Gustav is currently classified as a Tropical Storm with 70 mph
sustained winds moving west-northwest at 5 mph. Gustav is located
offshore between Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica. The storm track predicts
Category 3 strength landfall as early as Monday evening and anywhere
from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to Florida.

Oregon Disaster Medical Assistance Team members set to respond to the
gulf coast this week include:

Steve Aamodt, Communications, Hillsboro; Jamie Baxter, RN, Salem;
Susanne Carlson, Administration, Portland; Lori Christiansen, RN,
Hammond; Greg Close, EMT-I, Irrigon; Sandra Dunbrasky, MD, Ontario;
Heather Freiheit, RN, Ashland; Gisele Garrity, RN, Cheshire; Marcia
Gilson, Paramedic, Philomath; Colleen Grunow Ague, Pharmacist/EMTB,
Brush Prairie, WA; Raelene Jarvis, RN, Vancouver, WA; Jon Jui, MD,
Wilsonville; Dan Kearl, Communications, Philomath; Claire Lawrence,
PhD, Portland; Peter Mackwell, Paramedic, Hood River; Susan McCray, RN,
Eugene; Theresa Meeks, RN, Portland; Ben Meigs, Paramedic, Eugene; Helen
Miller, MD, Eugene; Tom Misner, EMT-I, Tolovana Beach; Steve Myren,
EMT-I, Boardman; Cynthia Parks, Pharmacist, Pasco, WA; Peggy Peirson,
Emergency Manager, Philomath; Kurt Pothast, EMTB, West Linn; Peggy
Roberti, RN, Tolovana Beach; Lewis Rubinson, MD, Seattle; Sean
Shanahan, Paramedic, Vancouver; Terri Schmidt, MD, Portland; Eric
Stroud, PA, Salem; Kelly Sullivan, RN, Irrigon; Jaime Tabandera, RN,
Clackamas; Heather Teyema Paramedic, Portland; Charles Valencia,
Pharmacist, Seattle, WA; Bruce Waite, MD, Newport; Betty Walls, Aloha.

The National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) was developed over 20 years
ago as a public-private partnership. Federal partners include the
Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Defense,
Veterans Administration and the Department of Homeland Security's
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as well as a network of
participating public and private hospitals. NDMS is a federally
coordinated system that augments the nation's emergency medical response
capability. Its purpose is to establish a single integrated national
medical response for assisting state and local authorities in dealing
with the medical and health effects of major disasters and providing
support to the military and Veterans Health Administration medical
systems in caring for casualties evacuated back to the U.S. from
overseas armed conflicts. In addition to forming the DMAT team to
respond nationally, Oregon Disaster Medical Team also continues to focus
on enhancing disaster medical planning and response here in Oregon.

Oregon's DMAT, was founded and developed by the 501C3 non profit
organization, Oregon Disaster Medical Team that joined the National
Disaster Medical System in 1999. The team now represents Oregon
nationally as a Type I, Level I National Disaster Medical Assistance
Team of healthcare providers and support personnel from around the state
of Oregon and southwest Washington. Members plan, train and respond to
provide relief healthcare services around the United States when local,
county and mutual aid resources are overwhelmed due to a mass casualty
incident or disaster event. Members of the Oregon NDMS Disaster
Medical Assistance (DMAT) Team have served at Tropical Storm Allison in
Texas, the World Trade Center after the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks in
New York , 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah, Typhoon Sudal on the south
Pacific island of Yap in Micronesia, 2004 Hurricanes Frances and Ivan in
Florida, 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Mississippi and Louisiana,
and staged in Georgia in 2006 for Hurricane Ernesto.