Into the Future

2/4/10 UPDATE: Ministry continues to the Haitian people of Petit Goave. As the Marines circled around the edge of the compound this morning, a large water container came crashing off of its supports and barreled toward a group of onlookers. Most scattered, but a solitary young man was struck directly in his chest. The man was quickly unable to breath and turned blue. Using supplies donated from supporters like yourself, Dr. Caleb and team diagnosed the problem as a tension pneumothorax, a punctured and collapsed lung. A large chest tube had to be placed which returned a large gush of air signifying that the life threatening condition was relieved. Now able to breath, the patient was air lifted to a larger hospital at the main airport in the capitol. Stories like this continue to happen each day as we serve as the main source of medical care for the city.
New “recruits” showed up to work today. The marine medics of the area had heard for days what work was being done on the base and decided to lend a hand. The were able to experience a full day of debriding wounds, suturing, and triaging patients to appropriate care. Stating that they had more fun working directly with the Haitian people here then anywhere else, one marine plainly stated “I just wish we could move in with you guys.”
Petit Goave and the surrounding area need care for much longer than just a few days. With no large scale medical operation planned by major aid organizations, plans have set in motion to ensure the people are not among the “forgotten” masses of those effected by this earthquake. As you read this, a team of three additional Emergency Medicine physicians along with multiple nurses have arrived to staff the newly built clinic and to relieve the beleaguered team that has provided the majority of care for this city during these critical weeks. Aid for Haiti plans to continue rotating teams of American doctors in and out of this city in 10-14 day periods to ensure that Petit Goave and its 150,000 residents continue to receive medical care for the months ahead. To do this we need your help. If you know of anywhere we can access medical equipment, such as cardiac monitors, EKG machines and ultrasounds please reply to this message and inform us. In addition, if there are any physicians that would like to come and help with this rebuilding process please contact us.
God has given us the favor of the people here. Seeing the amount of work that has been done and hearing the plans for continued help from Aid for Haiti has resulted in much appreciation from the people of Petit Goave. We could not have done this without your support. Please continue supporting us in our ongoing work and telling others about this ministry.