Volunteer answers the call of storm victims

A former Youngstown nurse dispensed hope along with medicine to victims.
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
Pleas for help from nurses in a New Orleans hospital and images of the destruction on television convinced former area resident Mary Anne Schultz to become a volunteer nurse in Mississippi in the month following Hurricane Katrina.
Schultz, 50, a registered nurse currently between nursing jobs, left her home and 17-year-old daughter, Deanna, in Upland, Calif., on Sept. 20 to work in Mississippi as a volunteer helping Hurricane Katrina victims.
She was so impressed by the way people and the health care professionals responded to the disaster, that she plans to go back to work night shift for a New Orleans hospital for at least several weeks beginning, she hopes, on Wednesday.
While there in September, Schultz worked under the auspices of the Mississippi Board of Nursing.
"This agency's courage, clarity, and follow-up made me want to be part of nursing there," she said.
Primitive conditions
Schultz, a specialist in medical-surgical adult nursing and online education, said she had never worked in those types of primitive conditions.
She works for Walden University Online and is a self-employed consultant for Web-based education, research design, and statistics.
After deciding to volunteer, she flew into Birmingham, Ala., and then drove several hours to Waveland, Miss., where she dispensed hepatitis A and tetanus shots, and she believes, hope.
However, during her two-week tour of duty, Schultz said there was not a lot of progress made in many areas.
She said there were a few more convenience stores open, but the long lines for gas hadn't changed. The need for communication devices was so severe five weeks post-hurricane that police were still prioritizing peoples' needs in electronics stores.
One day, a National Guard soldier, complete with all his gear, including a gun, had to accompany them because of reports of unrest ... possibly attacks of some rescue workers.
"The guardsman said he was better off in Iraq. I asked him why, and he said: 'In Iraq, I had a shower, a clean bed, decent food, and at least there was a plan. Here, there's no plan ... no information.'
Former resident
Schultz moved from Youngstown in 1976 after working one year here at the former Southside Hospital and receiving an associate degree in applied science from Youngstown State University in 1975. She continued her education at the University of Cincinnati, graduating with a bachelor of science in nursing in 1979. She then moved to Cleveland, where she worked in management at University Hospitals. In 1984, Schultz received a master of nursing degree from the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. She also holds a master's in business administration from the Peter Drucker Management Institute of Claremont Graduate University and a doctorate in nursing economics from the UCLA School of Nursing.
Her mother, Mary Joyce-Thornton, also a nurse, still lives in Boardman, and Schultz comes back to visit when she can.
"I try not to miss a Class of '73 Cardinal Mooney High School reunion," she said. While at Mooney, she was a "Goldstepper" in the marching band.
Her father, the late John Thornton, worked for Republic Steel. He was an Irish immigrant who came to Youngstown in 1939.
Schultz said she has many fond memories of the Youngstown area. She recalls the open hearth at Republic Steel and Southside Hospital.
But time can dim memory, and she says she can no longer remember exactly where to enter Mill Creek Park to get to the other side of town, shaving a whole minute or two off a trip by exiting a certain other part of the park.
"This skill came in handy when we raced home to meet curfew," Schultz said.
She lived here when Youngstown had stores on Federal Street, such as McKelvey's, Strouss' and Lustigs.
"Lots of people don't remember ... shopping downtown. But, I pre-date the Boardman Plaza, and I'll admit to it," she said.
Returning to the subject of Waveland, Schultz urged Youngstown government, organizations, schools and individuals to respond to the long-term needs of the people affected by the hurricanes.
"How about a fourth-grade class in Youngstown adopting a fourth-grade class from Waveland, for maybe letter writing over time and Christmas gifts with meaning to kids their own age," she suggested.
"How about the American Legion or the VFW reaching out to American Legion Chapter 77 in Waveland. All that was left standing at that post was a row of flags," she said.
"A church in Youngstown could do a lot for another church there. Tell them I sent you," Schultz said.
alcorn@vindy.com