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Today was one of our busier days at clinic. There were a lot of people early in the morning who walked from the mountains to get medical care. 

I have been told that these are the poor of the poor, but of course they were so polite and grateful for the care they received.

There were several children who touched are hearts today, but one especially did. Her name is Christianna John Piere. She is 21 months old and weighed 17 pounds. She has a heart defect that will eventually take her precious life. 

Dr. Amy has her on lasix and digoxin to help her grow and keep her stable for now.  Christianna is from Cap Rouge and her aunt brings her to clinic.  It takes them hours to walk to the clinic.

I know the Haitians do not know how much they give to all of us when we see them smile or they pat our hands while thanking us.

They have touched our entire team's hearts. When I look into the Haitian childrens' eyes it looks like they can see right through me and into my soul.

They will hold a special place in my heart forever! 

-- Kathy N., R.N.

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Bonjour,
Today was another beautiful day in Jacmel!  Though it was a scorcher, we seemed to make it through okay, especially when the rain came toward the end of clinic which cooled everyone off! 

Over these last few days I have to say I have honestly seen people in their most vulnerable states. 

I have held babies that are so malnourished they barely have the strength to cry, or elders that are so worn down they can barely make it from the weigh station to triage to get their blood pressure measured.

I have to say though there is a sense of determination in the people that come to FOTCOH, they feel they are at a place where they will truly receive the best treatment possible while being treated with the utmost respect.

The level of respect the citizens have for the staff is a sentiment I will take back to the states with me. 

The things that are taken for granted back home are definitely not taken for granted here. There was a patient that had a major abscess today and just like that all of the tools were assembled and an I&D was performed and this patient was able to return home tonight with his family.

As an RN this experience is making it crystal clear why I joined this profession.

 I have to say that I am truly enjoying Dick and Barb too! The energy, insight, humor and love they show has really allowed me to feel comfortable thousands of miles away from my norm.

They have welcomed us with open arms to their home and treated us very well. Barb is an amazing cook and trust me that we are not going hungry.

 Dick has so many awesome stories to share that we can sit a the dinner table for hours listening to them.

We are halfway there (through clinic) and though I'm excited for what I have experienced so far, I can't wait to see what is ahead.

 -- Chontay McKay, R.N.

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Before clinic began a few of the nurses and I walked to the front to just get an idea of what the crowd was like. Just as I had been told, the line was long and the people were waiting. There were so many people that there was a rope to section off certain groups.

As an R.N. I worked the triage area, and during that time we took the patients' vital signs, looked for anything out of the ordinary or pulled out anyone that may have been extremely ill and informed a provider.

With the help of awesome translators we were able to move people along pretty fast. The flow of the day went quite well -- there were times when the lines could get pretty long, but everyone remained really patient throughout.

As an R.N. who works daily in a large urban hospital (the Emergency Department of Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Mo.), where crowds gather as well, there was definitely a different sense of patience with this crowd.

From the triage station patients either went to the Diabetes education station where their blood sugar was checked and they were advised on the proper nutrition and diet needed to maintain control of their diabetes, or they went to a provider station where they were further assessed, given the proper medications if needed and given follow up information.

There was so much to take in -- whether it was the 80-year-old walking barefoot with a cane who was given a new pair of sneakers or the young baby who was so malnourished that he didn’t have the energy in his small 2-year-old frame to make a peep.

This is only the beginning and there is still so much to see and do! 

As a team, I must say we worked really well together.  For example when triage was caught up, we would go and check on pharmacy or those working in the procedure area.

I see first and foremost that is the only way a clinic like this can run successfully and that is definitely through the kind of teamwork that was displayed today.

-- Chontay McKay, R.N.

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This is my 8th trip to the clinic and I have mainly worked in triage where we see the patients after they have gotten their dossiers (patient record in US).

-- Linda Damery, RN

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Hello from Haiti. My friend Laurie Tinker, RN, from Port Townsend, WA, talked about her love of the Haitian people and the wonderful FOTCOH clinic intermittently at home in our lovely Jefferson Health Care Hospital in Port Townsend, WA, often enough that I became curious and when she asked if I wanted to go to clinic this year I couldn’t resist.

--Paula Sorbel, RN

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After a well-deserved rest day on Sunday, the team was back at it on Monday. We had numerous return patients come in today for wound care, keeping our two treatment nurses hopping all day.

-- Patrick Renick, MD

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We started the morning of our day off with a 19-year-old who was struck by a rock in the back of his head the night before.

He was unconscious for a time and tried to sleep it off. He showed up on our doorstep as some of our group was heading to church. He had a skull fracture behind his ear with blood behind his eardrum. He seemed neurologically stable and was given antibiotics to prevent meningitis and pain pills.

The closest CT scanner is 4 hours away in Port-au-Prince. He will be returning tomorrow unless worsening, then we will have to drive him the distance in a truck.

All our patients seem to take this type of news in stride and are grateful for anything we can do. I’m most struck by the teamwork and willingness of everyone to do anything it takes to help patients ranging from newborns, who have had only sugar water to eat for their first month of life, to an 18-year-old with a tennis ball sized breast tumor.

Many patients walk for hours to get here and will stay overnight or maybe two nights, or as long as it takes to be seen. They are a remarkable people, resilient and grateful. I feel blessed to be a part of the team.

-- Joel Jensen, MD

A well baby check...

...and a dental exam.

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…with Mathias. He’s a 4 month old chubby cheeked Haitian baby boy.

I have seen lots of Haitian babies in all states of health. They all tug at my heart, but this time it was Mathias’ aunt that pierced my heart. She sat down in my chair, looked me straight in the eyes and said, “sponsor please." I looked at the baby in her arms and knew he would be in my life for as long as we were both alive, longer if I didn’t survive him.

You have to understand that it was not just about Mathias. It was also about his aunt. She could not care for him because she was alone and there were seven other children at home. I do not know or care what the whole story is, she needed help. I have been fortunate in my life to have the assistance and the love of caring people. I sometimes ponder what would have happened to me if I had been without that support, but only in terms of life in America. To ponder life in Haiti without any assistance is mind-boggling.

Besides the joy I was feeling, I was also a little proud of myself and puffed up. Then I listened to the sponsorship talk that happens during every mission trip. It included a reminder that there were over 350 Haitian children already being sponsored through Friends of the Children of Haiti and there was a long waiting list for new sponsorship. My sense of euphoria plummeted.

Again, I was confronted with the great need of the Haitian people. My sponsorship of this one child will allow him to eat, go to school, have clean drinking water, and a chance. It will also help the family. All of this only costs $25 a month. My heart wants to sponsor every child in the world and my hope is others will join me in the sponsorship of a Haitian child.

I will post pictures of Mathias and his aunt when I get home. Next March she will bring his sibling to meet me. I am missing him already and my heart is breaking for all the other children.

(Find more information on child sponsorships at www.fotcoh.org)

--Margo J. Spence, RN, Port Orchard, WA

P.S. Robin, the test strips made a huge difference.

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March blog entry March 16 2012.docx Download this file

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Today was my second day working and I am just so impressed with the level of care. I have worked in the lab and in the pharmacy so far. We can take care of people not just acutely, but manage their long-term medical conditions. It is pretty impressive.

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We are here.  Flying was no different than any other trip until we reached Port Au Prince. Baggage claim at Port Au Prince gives a new meaning to collecting one's belongings. It is a “free for all” with people and bags everywhere.

We collected all our belongings, and then the journey began. We tossed all the bags into the back of a dump truck, and then tossed the volunteers into the back of the truck where we rode on top of the bags to the small airport.

The bags stayed on the truck for the trip to the clinic.  Ed, our team leader, asked for volunteers to fly on the small plane.  I was selected to fly on the “large” plane.  The small one held 7 passengers.  The large one held the remaining 13.  We flew over Port Au Prince.

I can’t begin to tell you how poor the living conditions are.  I have traveled extensively, and have never seen this level of poverty. We flew to the airport at Jacmel. I may be too spoiled and accustomed to luxuries, but I would call this a landing strip rather than an airport.

As we deplaned, we were met by “Papa Dick” Hammond, the founder of this clinic and the reason the clinic exists. After our brief meeting we jumped into the back of two pickups for the drive to the clinic.  We drove through Jacmel, where the roads left a bit to be desired, and then turned down a dirt road filled with holes.  The clinic looked amazing, and then came the chore of emptying all the bags and organizing all the supplies that will be needed in the next two weeks.

 It is difficult to imagine the level of poverty and pain surrounded by so much beauty.  The clinic is located in Cyvadier, a small community just outside Jacmel.  The clinic is surrounded by lush jungle-like greenery which overlooks the Caribbean blue water of the bay.  The sunrises and sunsets are breathtaking.

On our first day we saw many patients, to say the least (imagine an ER when the whole area is on divert). I walked outside the compound with Bill, our “crowd control specialist” before the clinic opened.  I wouldn’t want to guess the number of people waiting to get in for medical care.  I’ve seen less people standing in line to get into a rock concert. 

Many of them waited most of the day to be seen.  Some of them walked for seven hours in order to get to the clinic. A few of them were outside the clinic on Monday when we arrived so they likely stayed outside overnight.  They didn’t complain that the line was long, or that it was very hot and humid.  They were simply grateful for the care.  It broke my heart to hear a patient say he had not taken his medication for the last three days because he lives in Port Au Prince and walked for three days to get here. 

The team is great! We have 5 providers, 1 dentist, 3 pharmacists, 8 nurses, a variety of other “specialties” and translators working cohesively as one big, wonderful new family.  We are from all parts of the United States, different backgrounds, different clinical experiences, but we came together quickly to create a very effective team.  

On our first day we cared for almost 300 people. During the day we were just caring for one patient, followed by another patient, etc. Now that the day is over, I am exhausted and looking forward to a “military” shower before going to bed (with hopes that sleep will come quickly, for another day is fast approaching, to continue this fun once again).  I look forward to the new experiences with the days to come, and yet another long line of very thankful patients for which we will provide the best possible patient care. Stay tuned for more adventures.

--Sandi Triplett, RN

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There they are – lined up outside in the bright sun waiting to have children weighed, measured, letters to sponsors written, and photos taken.

   This is the first mission to help gather, organize and disseminate information about the hundreds of children in the sponsorship program.

It would not be a stretch to say lives are being saved through this program but mostly, the quality of those lives is being enhanced.

With funds provided, the families are able to buy food and most of the children go to school. They are able to get healthcare at the bi-monthly medical clinics. The people are grateful.  

Still, life is hard in Haiti. Even with the help that sponsorship provides. 

Yesterday a woman came in with her daughter and her niece. The woman’s sister had died in childbirth and now she is raising the baby. Since she cannot breastfeed, she gives the baby what she is able to give.

In her case, that means crackers, a little milk, and some spaghetti. The baby is 6 months old, thin and  lethargic. We give her 2 ounces of formula that she takes with ease. We give the aunt instructions on feeding the baby.

She needs to practice everything from opening and closing the canister to mixing the formula that we give her. We tell her she needs to boil the water she will mix with the formula, and she seems to understand. The interpreters hired to help us do a great job.

The baby also has scabies. We remove all the clothing, give the babe a scabies treatment, and re-dress her in new clothing we brought with us.

Again we give instructions. This time on boiling the clothing, bedding, towels, and anything else that they have that might be infested with the mites. We give them a card to return in March where they will get additional supplies and care.

I hope we have helped sufficiently so they are all stronger and happier when the March team sees them.

Without the funds that sponsorship supplies, life for these people would be much more of a struggle. They are grateful. So am I - because I can see the difference that we can make in the life of a child.

--Trudy Vogel

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This is my first time coming to Haiti and it has been a very different experience. My first thoughts were that I was very intimidated by the culture and the people, but amazed by the beautiful landscape.

Spending time at the beach and getting to know everyone the first day was a great start to the trip. Working with the families of Haiti was more rewarding than I thought. Many of the children were very happy to be recieving gifts and their families were very grateful. I have had a wonderful time so far and cannot wait to see what the next few days hold.

Already I am planning to come back down to Haiti in the very near future. I am glad to experience something so wonderful.

--David Grant, junior, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville

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The women told us they enjoyed the class and asked very appropriate questions. Some of the questions were related to the cultural beliefs they have about breast feeding.

It was an amazing opportunity to provide this education to the women. We learned several lessons from presenting the class and have many ideas for FOTCOH on how they can continue this education with future teams.

-- Phillis Dewitt and Sue Behrens

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FOTCOH Surgical Director Dr. Garron Lukas and his Haitian surgical teams have done procedures on hundreds of children and adults in the six years since the FOTCOH surgical program began.

106.MOV Watch on Posterous

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