disaster health services – American Red Cross Minnesota and Dakotas Region

Early in her nursing career, Lori Dehn’s employer offered her a week off with pay if she volunteered for an American Red Cross disaster response deployment. How could she refuse such an offer? However, back in 2003, securing an official Health Services position with the Red Cross took a while, three years, to be exact!

At that time, the only way to gain the necessary training was through in-person classes at a Red Cross office. Despite policy changes at her workplace by the time she completed her training, Lori’s enthusiasm for volunteering remained undeterred. She joined her local Red Cross disaster team, aiding individuals and families affected by residential fires.

Lori Dehn, Red Cross disaster health services volunteer, enjoys training others and presenting for the Red Cross.

Since then, Lori has become an exceptional Red Cross volunteer. She thoroughly enjoys her role in training others and presenting for the Red Cross. The events of 9/11 intensified her focus on training community partners, such as public health departments and nursing schools, on Red Cross disaster health services. In her early years as a Red Cross nurse volunteer, mentors provided invaluable guidance, teaching her more than she could have learned on her own. Their support was crucial to her growth and development as a Red Cross volunteer.

“Much more than Red Cross”

In her life, Lori embraces a multitude of fulfilling roles. Not only is she a mother of three and a grandmother of nine, but she also stands as a devoted wife and a pillar in her community. These roles are close to her heart.

Raised in Osseo, a suburb of Minneapolis, she moved to Elk River in 1979 and now resides in a quaint cabin in the Chippewa National Forest with her husband of 40 years. This cabin is more than just a home; it’s a sanctuary where she serves and finds refuge. Lori leads a connected and bustling life, engaging in activities like hosting friends and family, being part of a social group called “Women of the Woods,” and enjoying hobbies such as hunting, fishing, gardening, and canning.

When asked about her feelings toward the harsh Minnesota winters, she humorously replies, “nooo”. To escape the cold, she spends several weeks and months in sunny Arizona or Nevada, always keeping her doors open for family and friends to visit.

Professionally, Lori has been a registered nurse since 1993, starting her career in diverse nursing roles including home health care, nursing homes, and case management for individuals with rare diseases. These varied experiences laid the perfect foundation for her eventual journey into volunteering with the Red Cross.

“Semper Gumby”

Choosing early retirement to dedicate more time to volunteering, Lori soon found herself deployed as a nurse volunteer to the 2017 Hurricane Harvey. Quickly, she received a field promotion due to the scarcity of volunteers. Lori’s time during Hurricane Harvey set a template for her future deployments. She humorously shares, “Field promotion is considered a naughty word with the Red Cross,” acknowledging the need for adaptability, or as she likes to say, ‘Semper Gumby’ [always flexible].

During the 2019 California Wildfires, Lori’s flexibility was tested as she managed a care team for over 200 people, including those with various needs and challenges. Her leadership and the support of a group of young paramedic students ensured that everyone received the care they needed.

“Big Picture is the Best Picture”

Lori likes to take a big-picture approach to her work. She strives to inspire and grow the nurse volunteer pool through events and workshops. Recognizing the Red Cross’s reliance on volunteers, she understands the challenge of finding committed individuals but remains optimistic, knowing there’s a place for everyone at this humanitarian organization.

Lori Dehn, Red Cross disaster health services volunteer, teaching hands-only CPR training in July, 2022. A lifesaving skill that can help save a life if a person’s breathing or heart stops.

A recipient of the national Red Cross Susan B. Hassmiller Nursing Award, Lori used the accompanying grant to bolster the nine Red Cross chapters in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Her visits around the region have strengthened our community of nurse volunteers. As Lori prepares to pass on her leadership baton this year, she looks forward to future projects with the same zeal and dedication that have characterized her time with the Red Cross.

Lori, we extend our deepest gratitude for your years of service to the Red Cross. Your leadership, dedication, and the relationships you’ve fostered have enriched both your life and the lives of those you’ve served. Here’s to the continuation of your remarkable journey with the Red Cross, guided by its foundational principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, volunteer service, and universality.

Story by Lisa Safer and Andrea Austin, Red Cross Volunteers

Teaching a CPR class,
Leading or supporting committee work,
Being on-call to assist with small disasters,
Helping in a shelter on larger disaster responses,
Reviewing health forms for the staff and volunteer workforce,
Speaking to nursing students about volunteer opportunities at the Red Cross…

There are many ways for those in the medical field to share their time and talents with American Red Cross Humanitarian Services. One nurse doing just that is Barb Page. Barb is celebrating her five-year anniversary with the Red Cross and is nearing the end of her second year as Disaster Health Services (DHS) Lead for the Twin Cities Area Chapter. For Barb, volunteering as a nurse for the American Red Cross is about compassion and community.

COMPASSION
As a DHS volunteer, Barb has enjoyed sharing her gift of compassion with clients when called upon to assist during disaster response.

Asked why nurses have always played such an important role for the Red Cross, Barb replied, “Everybody at the Red Cross has a lot of care and compassion, but I think it’s just innate for nurses, and that comes through in our work and is an important piece of recovery. We are a big part of getting people back on their feet.”

DHS volunteers are able to offer both practical assistance and emotional support to clients in their times of need. “When someone has lost everything or has been hurt because of a disaster, they need help in so many ways. They need help navigating how to get their life back together,” Barb explained. “In almost every disaster response, there is someone with medication or someone with medical needs who needs help.” With DHS volunteers like Barb standing at the ready to share not just her professional skills but also her caring spirit, the Red Cross is able to more completely meet the needs of clients.

COMMUNITY
As DHS Lead for the Twin Cities Area Chapter, Barb has enjoyed fostering a sense of community among the DHS volunteer team.

In the beginning of Barb’s tenure, Barb focused on understanding what interested and motivated different volunteers in order to best engage them in ways they would find satisfying. As Barb described, with the variety of activities there is to participate in at the Red Cross, “We need all kinds of people with all kinds of interests.” Barb’s inclusive message is that anyone can find a way to contribute at the Red Cross that will be fulfilling and that will fit his/her unique schedule and strengths.

Barb is now focusing her time as Twin Cities Area DHS Lead on maintaining a mentorship program and four committees centered on sheltering, national deployment, welcoming new volunteers, and external recruitment and education. The mentorship program has helped more than a handful of new volunteer nurses become acquainted and comfortable with responding to local disasters over the past year. Choua Yang, Regional Recovery Program Support Specialist, explained the impact Barb is having locally: “She is a great leader for the DHS group. The mentorship program helps new volunteers navigate the Red Cross and brings them into the DHS community.”

In addition, the more recently established committees are creating new ways for DHS volunteers to get involved and get to know each other, all the while making the Red Cross well positioned and prepared to take action when called upon.

Thinking holistically, as nurses so often do, Barb stated, “You never know if the client you just helped is going to become a volunteer or a donor or help out at the next disaster. It’s a circle.” The Red Cross community is a growing, more encompassing circle because of wonderful volunteers like Barb. Thank you, Barb!

Story by Kelly Clark, Volunteer Services, American Red Cross Minnesota Region. If you or someone you know would be interested in joining this compassionate community of Disaster Health Services volunteers in Minnesota, please contact Volunteer Services.