Health care volunteers and disasters: First, be prepared

(PHILADELPHIA) – A surge in volunteers following a major disaster can overwhelm a response system, and without overall coordination, can actually make a situation worse instead of better .The outpouring of medical volunteers who responded to the devastating earthquake that rocked Haiti in January provides a roadmap for health care providers during future disasters, say the authors of a New England Journal of Medicine "Perspectives" piece that will be published online February 24. Read more...http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-02/uops-hcv022410.php