2006年VOA标准英语-Health Problems Linger One Year After Katrina

By Melinda Smith
Washington, DC
08 August 2006
 
watch Katrina Health Issues

 
Many victims still need medical care for their hurricane  injuries and illnesses 
  
Health care for the poor and uninsured along the U.S. Gulf¹ Coast is still suffering nearly a year after Hurricane Katrina.  Community health care centers provided emergency treatment during and after the storm.  But as VOA's Melinda Smith reports, treatment is now being hindered by bureaucratic² red tape and a shortage of medical personnel.

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Before the storm hit on August 29th of last year, the southern states of Mississippi and Louisiana were near the bottom of national health care rankings.  Since Katrina, both are certainly at the bottom.

Community health care centers in the United States have traditionally treated poor people who cannot afford private medical treatment. But their task was made more difficult when 11 health facilities were destroyed in the storm. Eighty others sustained significant damage.

Almost one year later restoration of federal funding for reconstruction³ -- and for the support of medical teams coming into the area from across the country -- have been tied up in congressional budget talks.

Meanwhile, patients still need treatment for skin problems and respiratory conditions caused by mold and dust, along with other illnesses prevalent in the area such as diabetes⁴, hypertension and heart disease.  And there are mental health problems to deal with as well. 

 
Michael Andry
  
Michael Andry heads a local health agency in New Orleans. "We are treating individuals with depression, anxiety, those who have homicidal or suicidal ideation [tendencies] and obviously post-traumatic stress disorder⁵."

The community health care officials at a news conference in Washington said 70 percent of the local doctors and nurses have not returned to damaged parts of Louisiana.

 
Gary Wiltz 
  
Dr. Gary Wiltz runs the Teche Action Clinic in Franklin, Louisiana, 160 kilometers southwest of New Orleans on the Gulf Coast.   He says the evacuation of medical personnel from the metropolitan⁶ area of New Orleans to other parts of the country has highlighted an already existing shortage of doctors in rural areas like his.

"There's a desire for a lot of them to come back. I know a lot of my friends who have relocated want to come back," says Dr. Wiltz, "but it's very difficult to come back when you've lost over half the population that you had before."

TheNational Association of Community Health Centers estimates that as many as two million people were evacuated⁷ or displaced when Hurricane Katrina devastated⁸ the region.  Before the storm, one out of three people in Louisiana and Mississippi did not have a regular source of medical care.  Community health experts say their system became another casualty of Katrina -- and needs major improvements immediately.

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 bureaucratic   

adj.官僚的，繁文缛节的

参考例句：

• The sweat of labour washed away his bureaucratic airs.劳动的汗水冲掉了他身上的官气。
• In this company you have to go through complex bureaucratic procedures just to get a new pencil.在这个公司里即使是领一支新铅笔，也必须通过繁琐的手续。

3 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

4 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

5 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

6 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

7 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

8 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。