Briefing MemorandumTo: Anita Franzione, Internship Coordinator

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

Subject: Summary of Internship Activities from February 27, 2015 to April 8, 2015

Date: April 8, 2015

Summary:This memo summarizes the internship activities from February 27, 2015 to April 8, 2015 for Lester Julian McRae, who requests durable medical equipment donations from hospitals, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes. Lester Julian McRae updates the healthcare organization contact list with each facility throughout the 12 counties in North Jersey and sends welcome letters to healthcare administrators. In total, Lester Julian McRae has spent 170 hours completing these tasks. He devoted 70 hours updating the healthcare organization document, 20 hours sending welcome letters, and 80 hours requesting durable medical equipment donations.

Major Work Tasks & Accomplishments:The major task during this period was calling each healthcare facility in the 12 counties in North Jersey and requesting durable medical equipment. Another task was updating the healthcare facility list with the status, address, and contact information of each healthcare organization in North Jersey. An accomplishment during this period was collecting durable medical equipment from Daughters of Israel Pleasant Valley Home in West Orange, NJ. A crew was sent to this assisted living facility to collect 5 wheelchairs, 6 walkers, and a few canes. The equipment was tagged and stored with rest of the inventory.

Supervision & Staff Interaction:Michael Prasad, Intern Supervisor, interacts with Lester once a week for an hour, but is easily accessible by phone and email. Lester emails Michael a few times a week with the current status of the healthcare facility list. Lester contacted Michael with the facility's information to collect the equipment. Michael contacted a pick-up crew within the American Red Cross-North Jersey region to pick up the equipment from the site's administrator. Lester interacted with the Consumer Medical Supplies (CMS) intern and the Personal Assistance Services (PAS) intern over email to divide the remaining healthcare facilities on the list so that there is not any overlap with each intern's donation requests.

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 needed. The American Red Cross has plans in place to acquire the necessary equipment, store the equipment with the rest of the inventory, and distribute the equipment to shelters in North Jersey.

Major Successes & Challenges:This work period was successful because Lester was able to obtain durable medical equipment donations and update the healthcare facility list. Lester's ongoing challenge is to find the contact information for each site administrator. There are still over 50 facilities left to contact.