Mary McQuilkin (far right)


Students from the JHU School of Nursing are organizing their second annual trip to New Orleans this spring. Last year, thirteen nursing students went down to New Orleans over spring break to volunteer.  The group is a sub-group of NSNA, the Johns Hopkins National Student Nurses Association.  In Spring 2009, eleven nursing students will be driving down in two vans and staying with lowernine.org, a non-profit that rebuilds houses for members of the Lower Ninth Ward community who lack the resources to rebuild.  We will stay in the Lower Ninth Ward during the week, which was the most severely damaged by Katrina because it lies adjacent to where the levees broke.  We will also be volunteering with Touro Infirmary's emergency department, the Lower Ninth Ward health clinic, and St. Anna's medical mission.

The mission of the Hopkins Student Nurse Relief Corps is to collaborate with local organizations to revitalize communities in the United States affected by disasters. We offer our knowledge and skills to those in need in hopes of strengthening communities and improving the quality of life of individuals. We hope to gain experience working with underserved communities that will be applicable to our careers in nursing.