UMCOR to Assist FEMA in Case Management Training

NEW YORK, October 5, 2005—FEMA is inviting UMCOR to train 18 employees in case management to assist 1,500 Katrina evacuees living on the Carnival “Fun Ship”, Holiday. “FEMA recognizes UMCOR as the agency whose niche is case management,” says UMCOR executive Kristin Sachen. UMCOR is deploying Rick Hill, director, family assistance ministries, MERCI (Marion Edwards Recovery Center Initiative) in North Carolina to conduct the training on board the ship later this month.

Case management is UMCOR’s “specialty” in the wake of a disaster. UMCOR has perfected its application of case management over hundreds of disasters. In each of the three phases of response—emergency, relief, and long-term recovery—case management connects the disaster responders with the survivors in positive, constructive ways. The gift of case management is structure—allowing teams to communicate, avoid duplicated effort, and identify the most vulnerable in a coordinated way. Each participant has a designated role to minimize competition for resources. Through the case management process, UMCOR works with survivors to involve them in their own recovery and stays for however long it takes for recovery to take place.