Haiti medical relief: one year ago, one year later

Saturday, January 15, 2011

one year ago, one year later

Like many others deeply involved in Haiti, I've been spending the days since the 1 year anniversary of the earthquake thinking back to what I was doing, thinking, and feeling exactly a year ago--on the 13th, 14th, 15th, and so on. I remember continuing to stare at CNN many hours a day, watching as the same footage played over and over again. I think I watched Sanjay Gupta's interview of president Rene Preval at the airport 10 or 15 times, and each time it still made me shake my head in disbelief (if you know which interview I'm referring to, I'm guessing you might have had the same response). Video footage from the grounds of General Hospital, the mass burial sites at Titanyen, and the streets of downtown Port au Prince is etched in my mind as clear as if I'd seen it yesterday. I can still hear Anderson Cooper's voice as he reported from these places. I refreshed Google Reader every few minutes, hoping for more news from those already in Haiti.

By one year ago today I was in touch with Beth McHoul and the Livesays and others, making plans to work with Heartline. I went to a meeting midday on the 15th and was discouraged by people who were saying that no one should go to Haiti right now, even medical providers, due to the logistical challenges of housing and feeding more people on the ground. Friends in Haiti were telling me otherwise, though, and by the evening of the 15th, I had a lead on a flight into Haiti with an organization called Clean the World. By early morning on the 16th, I'd made a reservation to fly to Orlando, slept a few hours, did some major food/supply shopping at Target with Marcia, stopped by the hospital I work at in the Twin Cities (Children's) to pick up medical supplies (major props to them for donating to us), and then came home to 4 bags packed and ready to go (thanks to my mom and dad and Greg E.). We left for the airport and I arrived in Orlando later that evening, one step closer to Haiti. At that point I was starting to think I might actually make it in to Haiti...but still not getting my hopes up.

Tonight on January 16, 2011, I am in Cazale at Real Hope for Haiti. I'll be here for a few days. I'm looking forward to helping out in any way I can with their clinics and cholera treatment center.

And just when we thought life here couldn't get any weirder...about an hour ago Twitter exploded with people reporting that Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier was on a plane on his way back to Haiti. Soon after that his plane landed, and he is now apparently being driven down Route Frere, waving to people out of the window as he passes by. Others are saying there are rumors that Aristide's Haitian passport has been renewed. All of this while the most recent election's results are still very disputed. Things could get really interesting.

4 comments:

terri said...: hope it goes well with the cholera treatment efforts. and uber-weird about baby doc. TIH for sure.; 11:45 PM
Jen said...: thanks Terri.
the Duvalier stuff was a VERY well kept secret. no one was talking about it until about an hour before he landed. so strange. I saw one article that commented that 1/2 of the population now alive in Haiti wasn't alive when he left the country back in the 80s--so all they know of him is what they hear and read that is said and written by others--but not first-hand experience.; 6:03 AM
MattG said...: Jen: Hi, it's Matt Gomez from Clean the World (www.cleantheworld.org). We've grown quite a bit in the past year since you boarded our flight for Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake. In fact, we're now working with more than 725 hotel partners in North America and have collected, recycled and distributed 7 million soap bars in more than 40 countries, including 1.5 million in Haiti alone.

We were there in October when the cholera outbreak started and have sent 300,000 bars of soap to the island to help stop the spread of preventable diseases. If you are working at or with any facility that needs our soap, please let us know. We continue to send shipments of soaps to hospitals, medical treatment centers, orphanages, schools and tent-cities, and we certainly appreciate your help in bringing medical attention and care to the people who need it most.

If you and your friends would like to support our effort, please text CLEAN to 20222 to make a $10 donation (Messaging and data rates apply). Every little bit helps...

Best regards, God bless and thanks for helping Clean the World.; 9:00 AM
Jen said...: Hi Matt,
Thanks again to Clean the World for getting me to Haiti last year! Great news that your organization is expanding and helping more and more people.
Jen; 8:57 AM

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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.