Chancellor Comments on Human Tragedy

Chancellor Mike Bishop sent an email message to the campus community on Friday saying UCSF will coordinate medical volunteers to help in the Gulf Coast region. Here is his message in full: Dear Colleagues: Hurricane Katrina has left a human tragedy of unimaginable proportions in its wake. The UCSF community joins the rest of the nation in mourning this tragedy. I realize that many of you may have family or friends in the gulf coast region, and to you I extend my heartfelt hope that they are safe and out of harm's way. I suspect that many of you feel the need to respond in some positive way. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) suggests that now the principal need is for monetary contributions to humanitarian organizations. A partial list of such agencies is provided below. For a more complete list, go here. In addition we are doing our best to comply with a request from the California Hospital Association for medical volunteers to staff the medical shelters that are being erected in affected areas. UCSF Chief Medical Officer Ernie Ring will coordinate medical volunteers for the campus. Medical staff who would like to volunteer should email him directly with information about your area of clinical expertise. There have been no requests for non-medical volunteers. The campus will continue to examine other ways that we might help as needs become apparent. Sincerely, J. Michael Bishop, M.D. Links:

American Red Cross, 800-HELP-NOW or http://www.redcross.org
America's Second Harvest, 800-344-8070 or http://www.secondharvest.com
Catholic Charities, 800-919-9338 or http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org
Salvation Army, 800-SAL-ARMY or http://www.salvationarmyusa.org