A Dorchester doctor is among a group of medical professionals headed this week to the Gulf Coast proividing medical aid and humanitarian comfort to scores of hurricane Katrina victims.

Dr. Larry Ronan of Savin Hill is leading a group for four teams from Mass General Hospital with an average of 30 medical professionals per team in the Delta region. Ronan has told friends that his team is in the small towns and villages 60 -100 miles outside New Orleans, as well at evacuee camps in those areas, where in the weeks since the storm medical has been slow to arrive.

The MGH response is part of the hospital's Humanitarian Crises Team, an effort that has been deployed recently to other emergency, including the World Trade Center, earthquakes in Iran and last year's tsunamii in Indonesia.

Dr. Ronan has rented three vans, each holding seven primary care nurses and doctors to serve the enormous health care needs of those people and provide much needed medicine.

While the hospital underwrites the personnel costs, Dr. Ronan used his personal credit card to rent the three medical vans. If you have not yet made a contribution to help the hurricane victims, here's a wonderful effort with a local angle.

Donation checks should be made out to the Durant Fellowship/MGH Katrina Relief Fund/Operation Helping Hand, and mailed to the Durant Fellowship, 55 Fruit Street, Bartlett 917, Boston,MA 02114.

- Ed Forry

Ten years and still cookin'

One of the neighborhood's newer rites of passage returns next week when city power brokers assemble to do some cooking- but mostly eating- beneath a big tent in Codman Square. The annual Men of Boston Cook for Women's Health event- now in its tenth year is Thursday, September 29 from 6-9 p.m. And if you haven't participated in the past, do yourself a favor and try it out this year.

The event features some of the city's best restaurants - from the finest downtown eateries like No. 9 Park- to Dorchester's favorite kitchens, including Phillips Old Colony House, the Icecreamsmith, Gerard's and the new Ashmont Grill, all served by "celebrity chefs". Proceeds help to support the work of Codman Square and Dorchester House in providing health care to women and girls.

As they did last year, the folks at DotWell- which sponsors the benefit- is now offering "good neighbor" discount tickets to Dorchester residents.

"I hope you can come and support us as we show that Dorchester is not a 'hell zone,'" Codman Square Health Center CEO Bill Walczak wrote in an e-mail this week," adding "that good people live and work here and wonderful things happen here."

Call Millie Clements at 617-474-1446 to get your reduced price tickets or email millie.clements@dotwell.org.