What would you say are the main health concerns from the gulf oil spill - acutely and in the long-term?

My answer would be that the psychosocial impact is likely to be a permanent legacy for these children. The stress of Katrina with being uprooted and displaced along with the loss of both a sense of security and everything they had, which is still being felt in the region with many parents and children continuing to experience PTSD - now compounded by the stress of the uncertainty of what will happen to their families with the oil spill and the frustration, anger, and helplessness of the parents being transmitted to the children - will have enormous repercussions we can't yet imagine.  Some resilient children will come out stronger or at least intact, but many may never be able to trust again, especially to trust the government to keep them safe. 

In the shorter term the fumes with their irritant effects, particularly on children with asthma or respiratory conditions, is of considerable concern, especially as this is happening just as children are out of school and would normally be spending time outdoors.

How has the health of children been impacted by Katrina and its aftermath, in light of these new challenges?

The lack of mental health care for both children and adults - which was inadequate before Katrina but much worse since - is the main challenge I see right now and where the most help is needed. The medical healthcare facilities along the Gulf Coast are still not close to being back to a pre-Katrina level of functioning, but at least are further along than mental health resources are. It is still not clear that there were long-term affects on the physical health of children after Katrina as they left the area (due to the mandatory evacuation) immediately after and many - it seems most - who came back did not return until the infrastructure of homes and schools were re-established, by which time the potential immediate threats to health had diminished considerably. With the oil spill, the children are right there living through it.

What are the main challenges you see going forward to addressing the health of children in your area?

I would like to see at the very least measures being put in place so that children with respiratory problems have access to respiratory specialists this summer as primary healthcare practitioners are likely to be overwhelmed and that in addition to improving mental health access, children be encouraged to learn some techniques to deal with stress. They need to feel that they have not been abandoned by the "outside" world yet again and that they have a future...

What would you say are is most urgently needed to go forward and help kids in your area?

The biggest key to success is getting some funding and manpower to do these things!
One final thought - after Katrina we were faced with rebuilding physical structures - schools, homes, hospitals, etc - which was a daunting task but one people could envision doing. With the oil spill, it is much more difficult to imagine how the Gulf Coast - whose economy depends mainly on tourism, fishing, and the oil industry itself - will be able to recover. Buildings we can build as individuals and communities; the ocean we can't "fix" on our own - if it can ever be "fixed" at all.