Corvallis-based Samaritan Health Services is coordinating a statewide data base of health care personnel willing to travel to the South to assist with the Hurricane Katrina medical relief efforts. The effort is in conjunction with the Oregon Department of Human Services and the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems.

Each of the 50 state hospital associations was asked Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to collect data from health care personnel who would be willing and able to be deployed to the South if called upon. Samaritan currently serves as a regional coordinator for emergency services in a six-county area and has activated a phone bank and e-mail capabilities to accommodate interested volunteers.

"The federal government plans to set up as many as 40 250-bed field hospitals near the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina, with 10 of those facilities being ready to accept patients in the next two days," said Larry Mullins, Samaritan Health Services president and CEO. "The remaining facilities would be established in the coming weeks, with each being staffed by the volunteer personnel currently being recruited. The volunteers may also be used to provide relief for existing health care professionals working in the area."

Personnel being sought include physicians, nurses, laboratory workers, respiratory therapists, support staff, accountants and business professionals, maintenance workers, cooks, social workers and other mental health professionals, public information officers, and administrative staff. Volunteers should be prepared to stay at least two weeks and up to several months.

The field hospitals will be used to accept patients being transferred from Gulf Coast hospitals unable to care for them due to lack of services including electricity and running water.

Since the volunteer hotline opened on last week, more than 200 volunteers have offered to serve. Interested parties may contact 541-768-6323 during business hours or e-mail Ann Steeves, Oregon HRSA

Region 2 Coordinator, at asteeves@samhealth.org. Individuals should not travel to the affected region themselves or self-deploy but wait to be contacted.