WASHINGTON — Members of a new federal commission are planning to travel to Baton Rouge and meet with state and federal officials over a recent report that some child hurricane victims are not receiving adequate health care.

The National Commission on Children and Disasters voted last week to send subcommittee members to Louisiana to look into the situation. 

The panel was established by Congress and formed earlier this year to assess the needs of children in relation to preparation, response and recovery from emergencies, hazards and disasters.

The board is responding to a report issued by the New York-based Children’s Health Fund last month. It said children displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 suffer extraordinary physical and mental problems, including a high rate of iron-deficiency anemia.

State and federal officials point to each other as being responsible for addressing the situation. The commission is hoping to bring all sides together to coordinate a response.

“It’s definitely something that would fit in the commission’s area of interest,” said Kenneth Wolfe, a spokesman for the federal Administration for Children and Families, which houses the commission.

Dr. Irwin Redlener, president of The Children’s Health Fund, urged Gov. Bobby Jindal last week to make the issue a priority. But state officials said they would need assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Last week, however, FEMA said it is not responsible for children once they leave housing that the agency oversees.

“Ultimately, the state has responsibility, in coordination with local governments and nonprofit agencies, for the recovery of its citizens,” FEMA spokeswoman Alexandra Kirin said in a statement.

State Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine has said the state is prepared to serve the children but needs resources from the federal government, including information on the identities of the children so that the state can reach out to them.

A spokesman for Levine said the state would appreciate any federal involvement.

“We certainly welcome federal help to make our state better,” DHH spokeswoman Rene Milligan said.

FEMA said it has had trouble tracking child hurricane victims because their parents often do not provide forwarding addresses once they leave the FEMA system. The Children’s Health Fund obtained its data from clinics and school campuses in the Baton Rouge area.

The mobile clinics, run by a partnership of The Children’s Health Fund and LSU Baton Rouge Children’s Health Project, treated children living in the Renaissance Village trailer park near Baker. FEMA closed the park in May.

The Children’s Health Fund report analyzed medical records of 261 infants to 19-year-olds served between January and August.

Redlener also sits on the commission and said he was happy the agency was getting involved.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Redlener said. “The whole objective is how can these children be served?”

Redlener said, however, that the concern over the impact on child victims of Katrina, including schools and housing, must be addressed as soon as possible.

“The stress is extraordinary, and the consequences of neglecting these needs have lifelong impact for these children,” Redlener said.

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu has been pushing to give FEMA more authority when it comes to case management of people in its system. Congress passed legislation in 2006 that would allow FEMA to reach out to victims who leave its system and coordinate help with other federal agencies.

But Republicans scaled back the plan, not allowing it to be applied retroactively to Katrina. Landrieu, D-La., who serves as the chairwoman of the Senate disaster recovery subcommittee, said she intends to keep pushing for the case-management expansion for FEMA.