The Ohio Department of Health is directing all health care professionals in the state interested in volunteering for Hurricane Katrina disaster relief efforts to register online through the Ohio Medical Reserve Corps (OMRC) at www.serveohio.org/CitizenCorps. The OMRC will match medical professionals in their volunteer database with requests from the CDC and/or FEMA as these agencies coordinate the emergency efforts in Louisiana and Mississippi and contact physicians directly. Click on “Healthcare Professionals Needed” to enter a volunteer profile on the citizen corps site. On Sunday, the Ohio Emergency Management Agency dispatched 32 doctors, nurses and emergency personnel trained in search and rescue to Mississippi for an indefinite time period. The AMA is encouraging physicians to donate to the disaster area as “the most effective form of assistance in the crisis is financial,” with links to www.nvoad.org and www.fema.org where numerous charitable outlets are listed accepting online donations to aid in the relief efforts.