AN EXTRAORDINARY MAN - MR. STEVEN DELAHOUSEY

By: Nancy Marchbanks

To adequately recount this
gentleman’s most impressive list of credits...it would quite literally fill this entire publication. Perhaps you do not know him as of yet, but you will. Steven Delahousey was at the helm during Katrina, as the Medical Disaster Officer in South Mississippi. He worked tirelessly behind the scenes, during the worst natural disaster in US history.

As a young man, he was a pioneer in the field of Nursing - being one of the first men to enter a career that at the time, was primarily designated for women. Delahousey knew from the age of fourteen, what he wanted to do. “It has been my goal my entire life, to be involved in Emergency Medicine,” he said with great pride. For more than 30 years, he has dedicated his life to the
service of the very sick and injured, and to whomever was in the greatest peril. When Katrina slammed into our coastline, Steve Delahousey was here, doing his best to coordinate rescue efforts, and whatever else was necessary to help coastal citizens. Because of his expertise, coupled with the finest training, lives were saved.

There is a very serious issue regarding hurricane preparedness that needs to be addressed.
Special Needs Patients have no safety net here. These are the people that require oxygen around the clock, or use bio medical equipment. The Coast has no provisions available to care for them, there are no shelters, and hospitals do not have the space to take them in. Delahousey warns those caring for loved ones with special needs to take every precaution, and put a plan in place NOW. If at all possible, purchase a generator, always have a back log of medicines, oxygen tanks, and whatever medical supplies are necessary. In many cases, these patients cannot be moved, even under the best of circumstances. But at times of stress, the situation becomes even worse. For those of us who are caretakers, we must do the best we can to be ready, but we must also
understand that only so much can be done. Steve said “This is a very serious situation, and I wish there was an answer...but there
is not.”

Legislation was passed in Mississippi to regulate Emergency Medical Services because Delahousey brought the issues to the table. “Quite honestly, there is probably not a piece of EMS legislation that has been passed in this state, without my finger prints on it,” Steve said. Delahousey is quick to say that our government is well prepared, should there be another catastrophic event, of any kind, anywhere in the United States. He is currently working on the West Coast. The government offered him a new contract, and is hopeful that he can put the same principals into effect across the nation, that worked so well in Mississippi. “If anything similar happens, anywhere in the country - you will be seeing me on CNN, I will have to go, as the project Director for the government. It is quite a new challenge for me but I am up to it and ready,” Delahousey said.