Mary Landrieu: Hurricane case management focussed more on process than on results

[Louisiana1976]

Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., began a hearing Wednesday on case-management miscues after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, noting a litany of the problems experienced by the storms' victims.

Landrieu said many agencies, private and public, were more concerned about process than results after the hurricanes, meaning that while paperwork documented the needs of families, the solutions -- housing, jobs, medical care and mental health services -- often weren't provided.

Mary Landrieu said privacy regulations meant that new agencies taking over cases often didn't have access to the information collected by the previous case manager or government bureaucrat.

Under pressure to show results, many agencies closed cases before people received the help they needed, she said, giving a false sense that the needs of Louisiana victims were being met.

Perhaps most frustrating, Landrieu said, privacy regulations meant that new agencies taking over cases often didn't have access to the information collected by the previous case manager or government bureaucrat.

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http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2009/12/hurricane_case-management_focu.html