While ASH successfully transferred all aspects of the 47th Annual Meeting and Exposition from New Orleans to Atlanta, the residents of New Orleans are never far from our thoughts as they start the slow process of rebuilding and revitalizing the city.

Hurricane Katrina disrupted the health care system throughout the entire Gulf Coast region, causing hospitals and doctors’ offices to close and prompting patients to evacuate the area. ASH is concerned that patients with blood diseases and disorders may not be receiving adequate care due to the state of the health care infrastructure in the Gulf Coast area, particularly in New Orleans. By providing assistance to the university hospitals and the private practitioner community in New Orleans, the Society hopes to help in re-establishing a system that will provide top-notch care to hematology patients.

The ASH Katrina Relief Fund has been established to support the medical community as well as the hospitality industry in New Orleans and the surrounding area. Through this program, ASH plans to provide grants to the following organizations:

• The three New Orleans medical institutions with hematology/oncology training programs: Tulane University, the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, and the Ochsner Clinic Foundation
• The Louisiana State Medical Society’s Hurricane Katrina Physician Relief Fund, which will help physicians re-establish their practices and begin to provide needed medical care to residents returning to the affected area
• The New Orleans Convention & Visitors’ Bureau Employee Relief Fund and the New Orleans Tourism Workers Relief Fund, which together represent more than 80,000 hospitality workers

Help support the ASH Katrina Relief Fund by making a donation today. One hundred percent of contributions will be used to help re-establish hematology programs and to help those who work in the tourist industry in New Orleans. All administrative costs will be donated and no indirect costs will be allowed. ASH is proud to match individual contributions up to a total of $100,000. ASH is a 501(c)(3) educational and charitable organization; therefore, all contributions to this fund are tax-deductible.

Industry partners are also invited to support ASH's relief efforts. Please contact Karin Lombardi for more information.