Haiti medical relief: linking

Sunday, February 14, 2010

linking

Check it out: We Are The World 25 for Haiti

Images and video from the city, hospital, and clinic HERE and HERE.

An article written about our first week is HERE (yes I was completely misquoted throughout essentially the entire article--but the gist of the article is good and the reporter was a nice guy).

Dr. Pete Melchert just returned from volunteering with Heartline. Watch a news story about him HERE.

I will admit--for someone who is generally a very private person it is strange to suddenly have any part of my life be so public. But this is a story that needs to be told, and I want to keep telling it.

Some of my Facebook updates from the past few days:

--another little aftershock this AM while I was just waking up...it felt small maybe a 4...but it was enough that Geronne told me she was about to come and drag me out of bed outside. nerves are still jittery here.

--I fell asleep this afternoon while riding in the car with a kid on my lap and going over huge bumps in the road. I think I'm a little sleep deprived.

--a great team of people left today, with another fantastic team replacing them...we have a new ortho PA, new PT, 3 new RNs, new medic, and a new med/peds doc. there are also several RNs who have been here for awhile and can train in the new RNs

--another patient we sent to the USNS Comfort came back for a follow up visit today...she's doing great...it makes me so happy to see kids (who had horrible quake injuries) doing so well

--to all of you who were here at the beginning...Patrick is back, and he's just as sweet as he was when we first met him. he remembered me right away when we picked him up today and he even remembered my name. it feels like we've come full circle

--the truck picked up 2 gunshot wound patients from Cite Soleil today and brought them back to the hospital--the story is that the police were firing their weapons into the ground in an attempt at crowd control, and the people were hit by these bullets. thankfully their injuries are not life-threatening.

--we have patients currently on nitro and IVIG drips at the hospital...we are replicating 1st world medicine as much as we possibly can...under tarps in the front yard of a house. it's amazing stuff :)

3 comments:

terri said...: wow jen, you got a lot of air in that piece on dr. melchert. i'm so proud of you...; 11:39 PM
Carmen said...: Ephesians 3:14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.; 8:27 AM
dave said...: good stuff jen. amazing. im so proud of you. cant wait to get caught up in p.r.

see you soon.; 4:29 PM

Post a Comment

what I'm doing

I first traveled to Haiti in 1998. For the next 10 years, I visited Haiti once or twice a year, working with various organizations but mainly with Providence Ministries. I finished pediatric residency in June 2007 and spent 9 months volunteering as a pediatrician in Haiti from Sept 2007 through May 2008, then started fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine. I finished fellowship in mid-2011 then started an attending job. My state-side home is in Minnesota.

While in Haiti in 2007-08, I worked at a medical clinic in La Digue, a small village about 30 miles north of Port au Prince. We saw children with conditions common in the developing world, such as malnutrition, malaria and parasites, as well as conditions common in children all over the world, like respiratory and gastrointestinal infections.

Five days after the earthquake in January 2010 I joined a medical relief team at Heartline Field Hospital in Port au Prince. I initially planned to stay 6 weeks but ended up staying for about 5 months total throughout the year, traveling back and forth multiple times in 2010 while running the field hospital. I have had the privilege of providing medical care for some of the strongest, bravest people I've ever met.

In 2011 and beyond my medical work in Haiti has continued, first by responding to the cholera epidemic, then in other areas as needs have arisen. I continue to work with several different organizations in Haiti including Heartline Ministries. I spent over 4 months in Haiti in 2011 and I'm looking forward to several more months in-country coming up in 2012.