This month's cover photo shows an American Red Cross volunteer with a six-year-old Afghan evacuee at the Fort Bliss Dona Ana Range Complex in Chaparral, New Mexico, last fall. The volunteer noticed that the family of the child-who has cerebral palsy-was struggling to carry her, and helped procure a wheelchair for her use.
Thousands of people fled Afghanistan as the Taliban took control of the country in August 2021, prompting a global humanitarian response to assist them. Those brought to the United States were temporarily housed at military bases, where Red Cross volunteers worked to provide health services, clothing, and hygiene items. The volunteers also helped the evacuees replace the medications, glasses, and assistive devices they had to leave behind. An estimated 76,000 Afghans arrived in the United States last year; as of January 2022, most had been resettled into permanent homes.
"I am deeply grateful to the students, health professional volunteers, and partners who collaborated to ensure that individuals from Afghanistan received needed health and mental health support," says American Red Cross chief nurse Linda M. MacIntyre, PhD, RN, PHN. "As we work together, the community benefits. I invite nurses and other health professionals to apply to volunteer and join the Red Cross community." To learn more about volunteer opportunities, visit http://www.redcross.org/volunteer/become-a-volunteer/urgent-need-for-volunteers..
Also, listen to a podcast with MacIntyre and AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy at http://www.ajnonline.com for a discussion of the Red Cross's latest efforts and the role of nurses in its work. -Diane Szulecki, editor