End of first day in Haiti for Team B
Received a quick call from Paula Mulqueen. Team B arrived at about 10:30 PM in the Dominican Republic after a long day of travel. Up early they were flown into Haiti and immediately went up the mountain to St. Etienne. Conducted clinic where the most talked about person was a 53 year old woman brought in by a wheelbarrow pushed her husband. In the earthquake she sustained a fracture of her femur, the long bone in her leg. After the evaluation it was determined that she requires a rod to be surgically placed in her leg or she would never walk again. The team has made arrangements for her to be transferred to the hospital ship Comfort.
While the team was touring the visitor center at the beach house of Mission of Hope destroyed by the earthquake, the sailors camped on the beach asked our team for help. They had come across a 13 year old girl with a badly infected hand from an open wound sustained during the earthquake. The team determined that the hand would need to be surgically opened and drained. The navy again made arrangements for her to have the surgery on the ship Comfort.
Paula has been traveling to Haiti since 2002 and has made over 15 trips. She is in shock at what she has found, particularly the number of tent cities seen while flying in and the condition of Port-au-Prince. The entire soccer stadium in Port-au-Prince is a mass of displaced people. The need in Haiti is far from over as the number of people displaced from their homes without a place to go is tragic. Medical need will likely change but continue as infectious diseases and malnutrition takes off.
While the team was touring the visitor center at the beach house of Mission of Hope destroyed by the earthquake, the sailors camped on the beach asked our team for help. They had come across a 13 year old girl with a badly infected hand from an open wound sustained during the earthquake. The team determined that the hand would need to be surgically opened and drained. The navy again made arrangements for her to have the surgery on the ship Comfort.
Paula has been traveling to Haiti since 2002 and has made over 15 trips. She is in shock at what she has found, particularly the number of tent cities seen while flying in and the condition of Port-au-Prince. The entire soccer stadium in Port-au-Prince is a mass of displaced people. The need in Haiti is far from over as the number of people displaced from their homes without a place to go is tragic. Medical need will likely change but continue as infectious diseases and malnutrition takes off.
