October 12, 2001

MGH members of DMAT receive a warm welcome from Jeanette Ives Erickson, RN, MS, fourth from left.  

From left, Gaudette, LeBlanc and George.

When they left Boston in the surreal atmosphere of Sept. 11, even the MGH members of the Metro Boston Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) and International Medical Surgical Response Team (IMSuRT) could not have fathomed the destruction and devastation that awaited them. Despite the grief and difficulty they faced, however, the team made a solid – and much-needed – impact in the days they spent at "Ground Zero," the site of the World Trade Center disaster in lower Manhattan.

Thirty-six hours after spending their first night in a tent at New York’s Stewart Air Force Base, the team set up a treatment center directly amidst the rubble of Ground Zero. They were tending to the first of a steady stream of injured rescue workers and volunteers within hours. Confronting ailments ranging from smoke inhalation and other respiratory ailments to crush and trauma injuries, the team joined thousands of other medical personnel from across the country to ease some of the burden of suffering all around them. They worked at the scene around the clock, traveling to a nearby hotel for quick naps and showers before returning to Ground Zero. Team members also visited area hospitals, where they attended to burn victims injured in the tragedy.

When the team at last arrived back at the MGH Sept. 21, they received a heroes’ welcome. Red, white and blue balloons and "Welcome Home" placards appeared throughout the hospital. A poster in the Main Lobby proclaimed, "We’re Proud of Our Disaster Response Team."

In a letter to MGH employees, James J. Mongan, MD, president of the MGH, commended the team’s "instrumental role in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks." Mongan also noted the contributions of team members’ co-workers, who had remained at the hospital to provide extra coverage after the attacks. "Their efforts ensured that our own patients’ needs were met while their colleagues were attending to the disaster victims and rescue team in New York," Mongan said. "This is a dramatic example of the type of teamwork that happens every day at the MGH and makes it the great institution it is."

The DMAT and IMSuRT team was led by Susan Briggs, MD. The other MGH and Partners members of the team are: Jen Albert, RN; Erin Cox, RN; Frank Curtis, RN; Susan Diehl, RN; Cathy Drake, RN; Bob Droste, RN; Molly Finneseth, RN; Anthony Forgione, LPN; Ron Gaudette, RPh; Edward George, MD, PhD; Pam Griffin, RN; Kristina Hakannson, RN; Peggy Hogan, RN; Patrick Kadilac, RN; Marie LeBlanc, RN; David Lhowe, MD; Barbara Goll McGee, RN, MSN; Dawn Moore, RN; Sally Morton, RN; Mary O’Brien, RN; Vinny Riggi, RRT; Jay Schnitzer, MD; Robert Sheridan, MD; Brenda Smith, RN; Mike Spiro, RN; and Barbara Walsh, RN.

A photo of Ground Zero taken by a DMAT member. 

To view a photo essay of the MGH team’s experiences at Ground Zero, visit the MGH web site at www2.massgeneral.org.