Emergency Preparedness in Bleeding Disorders Patients

Merika Hawes, MSW, LMSW, is the Hemophilia Social Worker at the Augusta University Pediatric Hemophilia Treatment Center at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia. Since 2021, she has worked with children, teens, and families who have bleeding and clotting disorders. She earned her Master of Social Work degree from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. The “Emergency Preparedness of Bleeding Disorders” research is designed to help patients get ready for natural disasters. It aims to lower anxiety during emergencies, reduce PTSD symptoms after disasters, and decrease depression following natural disasters.