The ARC - Relief and Services to Those Impacted by Louisiana Flooding

Since receiving his MD from the Emory University School of Medicine, Dr. Paul Bolger has studied for his MBA at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Now based in the Quad Cities region, he owns and operates Medical Aesthetics and Wellness Center in Davenport, Iowa, and serves as an attending physician in the Emergency Department of UnityPoint Health Trinity Medical Center. Maintaining a strong community presence, Dr. Paul Bolger and his wife support charity events sponsored by organizations like United Way and the American Red Cross (ARC).

Focused on responding to emergencies, the ARC’s activities encompass disaster relief, including from the flooding that impacted Louisiana in the summer of 2016. One remarkable story associated with that event involved Nhan Thi Nguyen and Canh, her son.

Settled in the United States by the U.S. State Department following the early 1970s bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, Ms. Nguyen established a productive life in eastern Baton Rouge. When several feet of floodwater covered her neighborhood, she had difficulty evacuating. Ms. Nguyen’s family possessed 12 cats and dogs, and her son’s legs had blood clots. After a neighbor helped her reach an abandoned parking lot on dry land, her family, including pets, waited three days for assistance.

Ms. Nguyen and her son were finally taken to an ARC-administered community shelter, with the son taken to the hospital for emergency care. Additionally, a local pet service provider cared for her pets. For three days, ARC volunteers personally assisted Ms. Nguyen, ensuring that an individual with limited English was in a stable situation with her immediate needs addressed.