The Coastal Health District of Georgia serves the counties of Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long & McIntosh

News & Events


Residents with Functional or Medical Needs Urged to Register with Local Health Department

There are two words that no one in coastal Georgia likes to hear: hurricane season. As much as we would like to ignore it, hurricane season rears its ugly head every June and doesn’t go away until the end of November. For some, making an evacuation plan is fairly simple. But for others who may have functional or medical needs and no transportation, that’s not the case. That’s why the health departments along coastal Georgia maintain a list of people with functional and medical needs who may need help getting out of town when a hurricane is heading to our area.

The Functional and Medical Needs Registry is made up of residents who may require transportation and medical assistance during a hurricane evacuation and have no other resources such as family, friends, neighbors, or church members to help them if they need to evacuate. Residents must apply to be on the registry and if they meet the criteria, someone from the health department will explain to them, in detail, how and when the Registry will be activated should a storm threaten our area.

Those on the Registry will be evacuated to an American Red Cross shelter in an inland county that will likely be in a gymnasium or similar setting and could be several hours away. The Registry is truly a last resort, but if a hurricane is threatening our area, it is important that health department officials know where the most vulnerable residents are located so that evacuation assistance can be provided to them. People living in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and personal care homes are not eligible for the Functional and Medical Needs Registry and must follow their facility’s emergency plan.

Functional needs registrants are individuals who may need services to maintain their independence in a shelter. This includes children and adults with physical, sensory, mental health, and cognitive and/or intellectual disabilities affecting their ability to function independently without assistance. Medical needs registrants are individuals who require support of trained medical professionals. This includes those individuals who may need assistance with managing unstable, terminal, or contagious conditions that require observation and ongoing treatment.

To apply, residents should call the local health department or go on line to print an application and health information authorization form.

Bryan County Health Department
912-756-2611 (Richmond Hill) or 653-4331 (Pembroke)
www.coastalhealthdistrict.org/bryan

Camden County Health Department
912-576-3040 (Woodbine) or 882-8515 (St. Marys)
www.coastalhealthdistrict.org/camden

Chatham County Functional/Medical Needs Registry
912-691-7443
www.coastalhealthdistrict.org/chatham

Effingham County Health Department
912-754-6484
www.coastalhealthdistrict.org/effingham

Glynn County Health Department
912-279-3350
www.coastalhealthdistrict.org/glynn

Liberty County Health Department
912-876-2173
www.coastalhealthdistrict.org/liberty

Long County Health Department
912-545-2107
www.coastalhealthdistrict.org/long

McIntosh County Health Department
912-832-5473
www.coastalhealthdistrict.org/mcintosh

 

 

Comments are closed.