Healthcare Community Rushes to Aid Haiti Earthquake Victims

Meanwhile, yesterday some 4,500 nurses across the country signed up in response to a call from the National Nurses United and the RN Response Network to volunteer for disaster relief in Haiti.

Many are already en-route to a command center in Miami, where they await escort from military personnel for security reasons, says Shum Preston, spokesman for the organizations and the California Nurses Association.

In a statement, NNU Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro praised the volunteers for their rapid response. "We've never seen anything like this. We have a very heightened sense of urgency, with RNs across the country wanting to be deployed to Haiti. It's heartwarming to know that kind of humanitarian concern is deeply embedded in RNs."

However, she cautioned volunteers to be aware that there are many logistical issues with transportation, and "many difficulties with a shattered governmental infrastructure on the embattled island."