Government

AMA supports bill to protect hurricane volunteers

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Oct. 3, 2005

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The House of Representatives in September passed the Katrina Volunteer Protection Act of 2005, legislation to assure that volunteers, including physicians, could focus on providing aid to hurricane victims instead of on the threat of lawsuits.

"Since Hurricane Katrina, the AMA has been sharing information with physicians nationwide on how to volunteer for the relief efforts," said AMA President J. Edward Hill, MD, who is from Mississippi. "Physicians are eager to volunteer -- they want to help the hurricane victims with their immediate and long-term medical needs. Passage of a Good Samaritan bill is an important step toward alleviating some of the uncertainty faced by physicians who want to volunteer."

At press time, the bill had not passed the Senate.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/10/03/gvbf1003.htm.

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