CDC Help Line Offers Assistance to Clinical Laboratories affected by Hurricane Katrina

Atlanta, Georgia – A help line has been established for clinical laboratories impacted by the effects of Hurricane Katrina.  Clinical laboratories who are having trouble obtaining supplies or reagents, meeting critical staffing needs, transporting specimen, or communicating with their state or local public health laboratory can contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) hotline at 1-800-232-4636.  This line handles many inquiries, so you will need to identify yourself as a clinical laboratory and indicate your specific need for assistance.

A number of professional societies and trade associations have been working with the CDC to assist clinical laboratories in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and other states affected by Hurricane Katrina.   So far they have found that several laboratories need assistance with laboratory supplies and reagents, courier transportation services, staffing, and communication.  If a laboratory is in need of assistance, it should contact the CDC Help Line so that aid may be coordinated most effectively.

Once a request is received from a laboratory impacted by Hurricane Katrina, the CDC will coordinate appropriate responses within the Department of Health and Human Services, States, and with its private sector partners.

The CDC help line number to call is 1-800-232-4636. 

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