Volume 24, Number 2: February 2023
Image from Texas Storm Chasers
Dear Readers,
As we were getting this Newsletter ready for publishing, the news of the devastating earthquake in Türkiye and Syria came in. All of us at the IAHPC are deeply saddened by the tragedy and the amount of suffering for millions of people. The loss of life and property is enormous. If there is anything we can do for our palliative care colleagues and readers, please contact us.
My husband and I live in a rural part of Texas where there are many oak and cedar trees. You may remember my report in the March 2021 issue about the bad winter storm that hit Texas. February tends to be the month when temperatures here drop, and this year was no exception. This past week, rain was coupled with temperatures that reached below zero, and water turned to ice.
Some trees and plants, like Texas sage, are flexible and can bend with the weight of the ice.
However, native trees such as live oak and cedar lack that kind of flexibility, and their limbs break under too much weight. After the storm passed, we found many trees with broken limbs: others had even split in half.
Over the weekend, an amazing thing happened. With no prior planning, most of our neighbors met outside, rolled up our sleeves, and started working. We removed limbs, clearing the street, front yards, and backyards, and checked on the older residents to ensure that everyone was safe. After several hours, we were exhausted, but felt a sense of connection and kindness that tied us together.
Just like two years ago when I asked myself how that winter storm of 2021 relates to palliative care, this event made me think of how when disaster strikes, there is a deep sense of empathy and solidarity that shines through. This is a compassionate community, and no amount of support from the city or the state can match the solidarity and help that we can give each other.
Palliative care has a role in emergencies and disasters. The World Health Organization has published guidelines for Integrating palliative care and symptom relief into the response to humanitarian emergencies and crises, and organizations like PallCHASE are focused on addressing the unmet need for palliative care in humanitarian settings. Our event does not compare at all in scale to the tragedy of the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria, but how we respond to relieve the suffering applies in all scenarios.
Liliana De Lima, MHA
Executive Director
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