Briefing Memorandum

To: Anita Franzione, Internship Coordinator

From: Lester Julian McRae, Intern, The American Red Cross – North Jersey Region

Subject: Summary of Internship Activities from January 22, 2015 to February 5, 2015

Date: February 6, 2015

Summary:This memo summarizes the internship activities from January 22, 2015 to February 5, 2015 for Lester Julian McRae, who is requesting donations of durable medical equipment from hospitals, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes. Lester Julian McRae has updated the healthcare organization contact list with each facility throughout the 12 counties in North Jersey and created a welcome letter to mail to each organization. In total, Lester Julian McRae has spent 14 hours completing these tasks. He devoted 6 hours updating the healthcare organization, 2 hours creating the welcome letter, and 6 hours requesting donations of durable medical equipment.

Major Work Tasks & Accomplishments:The major task during this period was inputting the name of each healthcare facility in the 12 counties in North Jersey and then sorting them by city and county. Another task included creating a welcome letter explaining the American Red Cross' role in disaster relief and asking for durable medical equipment in the form of donations or loan agreements from these healthcare facilities. Another goal of the internship is to form partnerships with community outreach programs and the First Aid Council.

Supervision & Staff Interaction:Michael Prasad, intern supervisor, interacts with Lester once a week for an hour, but is easily accessible by phone and email. During the meeting on January 29, 2015, Michael showed Lester the durable medical equipment inventory and the trailer at the Summit office. During the meeting on February 5, 2015, Lester discussed internship goals with Michael and 2 other interns who are working on different projects. Michael used this meeting to explain how Lester and the 2 other interns can help each other achieve their respective internship goals even if each intern is focused on a different project.

Relevance to Public Health Theory:Primary durable medical equipment includes wheelchairs, crutches, 4-prong canes, and shower chairs. Secondary durable medical equipment includes privacy screens, independent toilet seats, Hoyer lifts, and refrigerators. During a disaster, many people have no choice but to leave home and stay in a shelter. The American Red Cross has the responsibility of supplying these shelters with the necessary medical equipment to accommodate a large amount of people until federal assistance is provided. The American Red Cross has a plan in place to acquire the necessary equipment, store it in inventory until needed, and then transport the equipment to each shelter in North Jersey.

Major Successes & Challenges:This work period was successful due to a greater understanding of how important it is to plan ahead be-fore a disaster occurs and what resources are available to lend assistance pre-disaster and post-disaster. A major challenge for Lester is finding the necessary contact within a healthcare facility to request the medical equipment. However, the focus will shift to community outreach partnerships with hospitals and connecting with the First Aid Council.