Information for people with disabilities and their families who have
been affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Medical and Assistive Equipment
LATAN Flyer - pdf
My dear friends of LATAN,
To those of you who have suffered loss of family members and friends and/or property loss in Hurricane Katrina, my thoughts and prayers are with you. I am so grateful that you are safe.
My organization, LATAN, is trying to respond to the needs of people with disabilities who are victims of Hurricane Katrina. We are looking for help all over the country, and I wanted to give you the opportunity to help as well. Please read below for ways you can help. Please also pass this on to others in your networks.
LATAN Hurricane
Katrina Equipment Distribution Program
for People with Disabilities and Older People
People with disabilities and older people in Louisiana were forced to leave wheelchairs, hospital beds, walkers, canes, communication devices, and other types of medical equipment and assistive technology when they evacuated from the path of Hurricane Katrina. Others find themselves in need of such devices due to illness and injury resulting from the storm.
The Louisiana Assistive Technology Access Network (LATAN), in partnership with New Horizons Independent Living Center, Southwest Louisiana Independence Center, Come and Help, United Cerebral Palsy of Louisiana, and other organizations in the state, are operating an Equipment Distribution Program to receive donated equipment and distribute it to the individuals who need the devices.
We would appreciate any assistive technology devices you can send. At this point we have requests for wheelchairs, including oversized ones for people who weigh 300-600 pounds. We also have requests for walkers, canes, hospital beds, potty chairs, shower chairs, lifts. We have not been able to assess all of the needs yet. Most of these requests have come from shelters. We are also working with disability groups and individuals to supply equipment to individuals who can ³own² the equipment, and who can take the equipment with them as they leave the shelter,
We need your help in several ways.
To donate funds for this operation online, go to www.latan.org and click on Hurricane Katrina or call LATAN at 225.925.9500 for a credit card payment, or mail your donation to LATAN‹Hurricane Katrina Fund, P. O. Box 14115, Baton Rouge, LA 70898.
To donate equipment, please contact Clara Pourciau at cpourciau@latan.org or Julie Nesbit at jnesbit@latan.org. or call 225.925.9500.
To volunteer your time for this equipment distribution program, please contact Cyndi Mabry in Baton Rouge at cmabry@latan.org or 225.925.9500 or Mack Marsh in Shreveport at mmarsh@nhilc,iorg or 318.671.8131, ext. 108.
On behalf of the people who depend on these devices for their lives, thank you so much for any help that you can give.
Warm regards,
Julie
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Julie Nesbit, ATP, President/CEO
Louisiana Assistive Technology Access Network (LATAN)
jnesbit@latan.org
http://www.latan.org
3042 Old Forge Road, Suite D, Baton Rouge, LA 70808
(225) 925-9500 (Voice/TT) (225) 925-9560 FAX
"LATAN assists individuals with disabilities to achieve a higher quality of life and greater independence through increased access to assistive technology as part of their daily lives."
LATAN receives grant funds from the U.S. Department of Education to provide certain required activities under the Assistive Technology Act of 1998, as amended. Other funds assist us to respond to additional needs of people with disabilities and older people, such as the critical needs as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
LATAN is pleased to be a certified not-for-profit organization in compliance with the Louisiana Standards for Excellence.