After Disaster Strikes, Basic Medical Care is Scarce

Local Telehealth business unites with international aid groups to fill a critical void

NEW ORLEANS, LA – BEBD Telehealth & Home Care is partnering with disaster relief teams from Third Wave Volunteers and Cajun Commissary to provide emergency medical relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. As thousands of residents in the coastal communities of south Louisiana try to clear the debris and begin the long process of rebuilding, they are in dire need of basic medical care, particularly managing chronic health co nditions that require regular medication. With local hospitals closed and no access to power or internet, practicing doctors are hard to find in this area. Just getting a refill for a long-standing prescription can be an uphill battle and patients with heart conditions, hypertension and anxiety are feeling the stress—and dire side effects—of not having ready access. Telehealth, an innovative technology that allows a patient to connect with a physician via telephone or video conference, provides a logistical workaround well-suited for this type of crisis.

New Orleans-based BEBD Telehealth and Home Care (https://bebdtelehealth.com/) is now working with renowned international disaster aid groups Third Wave Volunteers (https://thirdwavevolunteers.com/) and Cajun Commissary (https://cajuncommissary.com/) to bring telehealth directly into survivors homes and community resource centers. Using software developed in conjunction with Vola Connected Health (https://vola.app/), BEBD has been providing telehealth services across the US since 2019 through a national network of physicians and nurse practitioners. After speaking with Dr. Alison Thompson, founder of Third Wave Volunteers, about the current needs of the patients she and her nurses are treating at their medical tent and in the field, BEBD CEO Susan Braddock immediately recognized that BEBD could provide the missing link in caring for these patients. Utilizing satellite communications provided by Cajun Commissary, BEBD and Vola will provide the platform for doctors to directly consult with the nurses and patients without physically being onsite. This will allow a rapid turnaround response and enable these patients to receive their medications within hours instead of waiting weeks. It will also allow for treatment of the minor wounds, skin irritation and respiratory issues that accompany post-storm cleanup and rebuilding, without taxing the resources of local MASH units which are needed for emergency and critical care issues.

“As someone with deep ties to South Louisiana who has been a major hurricane survivor, I’m grateful to bring Telehealth technology to these patients. It will serve them not only today, but anytime care is needed in rural and under-served communities,” said Braddock. “Working in partnership with humanitarians like Dr. Thompson and Tiffany Theriot of Cajun Commissary makes the long hours of tech product development especially meaningful,” added Shawn Stodola, Vola Founding Partner. 

BEBD Telehealth & Home Care and Vola Connected Heath are innovators within the growing telehealth marketplace, providing tech solutions that help our clients streamline processes and free up capacity to focus on what they do best – caring for patients by connecting them with a board-certified physician no matter where they are located. 

Third Wave Volunteers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity founded in 2001 by Dr. Alison Thompson to provide medical and non-medical relief after man-made and natural disasters. Their goal is to create a more sustainable future by teaming with local grassroots groups already in place on the ground to aid underserved and affected communities. The group has been internationally recognized for its work around the world, including Haiti and Sri Lanka.

Tiffany Theriot founded volunteer organization Cajun Commissary after experiencing catastrophic flooding in Baton Rouge, LA in 2016 due to climate change. The organization supports comprehensive recovery efforts in communities after a crisis or disaster.

Media Contact
Company Name: BEBD Telehealth & Home Care
Contact Person: Karen Louise Crain
Email: Send Email
Phone: 504-723-6593
Country: United States
Website: https://bebdtelehealth.com/