Heart to Heart remembers victims of Hurricane Katrina

OLATHE, Kan./August 29, 2006 — Heart to Heart International Inc., a leading global humanitarian organization, today said it is observing a moment of silence at its world headquarters in Olathe and at its mobile clinic in New Orleans at 2 p.m. today in remembrance for the thousands of people who lost their lives in the wake of Hurricane Katrina on this date a year ago.

“We never want to forget the tragedy that struck along the Gulf Coast last year,” said Jon D. North, Heart to Heart’s CEO. “So many people were affected—either by the loss of a loved one, the loss of their homes or the loss of their livelihood—that we are redoubling our efforts to provide primary healthcare to the residents of the Broadmoor neighborhood in New Orleans.”

Heart to Heart started working in New Orleans on Aug. 30, 2005, when it received a call from the Emergency Operations Center in Jefferson Parish near Marrero, La. The call came from Bob Benisch, a Kansas City-based reporter on loan to a local affiliate that had seen Heart to Heart help victims of recent catastrophes around the world and in the United States. His call provided the organization with a starting point in its year-long relief effort.

It has engaged more than 200 medical volunteers to assist at 15 mobile clinics throughout Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas to assess and treat nearly 10,000 patients.

Its operations are now focused on the Broadmoor area of New Orleans, where thousands of residents have no access to reliable healthcare. In lieu of a local doctor’s office, Heart to Heart is providing primary care to these residents.

The organization is still accepting financial contributions to continue helping the medically destitute along the Gulf Coast. People interested in supported Heart to Heart’s relief efforts are encouraged to give online at www.hearttoheart.org.