The Committee for Disaster Medicine Reform was formed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in response to the subsequent politically motivated criminal allegations against Dr. Anna Pou, widely respected New Orleans doctor and her two dedicated nursing colleagues, and civil litigation filed against these and other medical professionals who stayed and served people in need while government at all levels failed to do its job.

These legal actions have adversely affected the state’s medical community by helping to drive many doctors and nurses out of Louisiana and, by extension, placing at risk future patients who may be stranded during the next natural disaster or terrorist action.

These facts highlight the urgent need to protect our medical professionals from unwarranted criminal allegations and wrongly placed lawsuits that would do further damage to our dwindling medical community and the state’s reputation.

The American Medical Association (AMA) and the Louisiana State Medical Society (LSMS), along with many others have expressed serious concerns about the criminalization of medical judgment and the need for liability protection of physicians and nurses who serve patients during periods of disaster.