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Heartland Alliance Emergency Medical Relief Program in Haiti

Staff and Volunteer stories during Heartland Alliance's Emergency Medical Relief Program

March 2nd

Thank you to all the Heartland Alliance staff and volunteers who helped the survivors of the Haiti earthquake:

  • Lina Abujamra
  • Shea Anderson
  • Sehla Ashai
  • John Bahling
  • Ann Behrmann
  • Beth Dowell
  • Andrea Clyne
  • Michael Curtis
  • Chris Eves
  • Andrea Green
  • Janice Hansen
  • Nancy Hasenhauer
  • Megan Leston
  • Jennifer McNulty
  • Rebecca Mervis
  • Samantha Mukundu Ramamoorthy
  • Bridget Mulrooney
  • George Paul
  • Mark Rastetter
  • Brian Registe
  • Krista Schwuchow
  • Madhuri Thota
  • Paul Veldhouse
  • Page Warstler
  • Craig Wilkings
  • Michael Pasarelli

February 24

Video from our medical clinic:

 

February 17

Update from social worker Rebecca Mervis:

 

Our nurse-practitioner referred a client to us due to concerns about domestic violence. The woman was in tears and explained that her husband left shortly before her one month old baby was born. She is still living with her husband's family, who have been calling her names, belittling her and hitting her. They tell her how worthless she is and suggest that she become a prostitute. She wanted to return to her own family, who is outside of Port au Prince in a rural area of the country, but she did not have enough money for the bus fare. She told us that her family wanted to send her money but did not have enough, nor did one of her sisters-in-law, who tries to protect her from the abuse. Although many of the NGO's here are setting up domestic violence programs, nowhere has the capacity to take in abused women and children yet. We referred the woman to the general hospital, as her baby was dehydrated and needed an IV, and we gave her the money to buy a bus ticket home. She seemed so grateful and relieved. The bus ticket cost about $8, and we gave her a few extra dollars for food and fare to the bus station. It is amazing that giving her about $12 hopefully enabled her to escape an abusive home.

 

February 16

 

February 16

Update from Dr. Madhuri Thota

 

My experience in Haiti would be incomplete if I did not recount delivering a baby in Haiti who now has my last name as a middle name and caused a lot of amusement for the Thota family back home.

 

Elysee our driver/translator is an exuberant talkative man who would break into an impromptu song at the drop of an hat to break the tedium of the drive. On talking about his family he stated that he had married his high school sweetheart and had a 4 year old son and a 12 year old adopted daughter and that they were expecting their newest addition to their family any day now.

 

Few days prior we actually visited his 5 foot 120 lb heavily pregnant cute wife and kids at home on his request. After confirming "head down" position of the baby and listening to the heartbeat with some difficulty with a less than sensitive doppler we headed home when he requested that we help with the delivery at home. She had a normal previous delivery and he was planning on taking her to his godparent's home for delivery, as it was a bigger house and more help would be at hand. Like other Haitians he shared a deep mistrust of the hospitals for infections and missing babies. Unless it was an absolute emergency he had no intention of taking her to the hospital.

So 2 days before I left we got the frantic call from him saying that Gwenlynn's water bag had broken and that she was in a lot of pain. I grabbed a clean delivery kit (which is being given out by the UN for pregnant patients to deliver at home or in the tents) with visions of her delivering in the car as she waited for us in front of a hotel.

 

One look at her calm face during and in between the contractions made me head back home for supplies I might need for the night ahead. I/V fluids, sutures and lidocaine for any tears, doppler, gauze.

By the time I got back to the car Elysee was hyperventilating and talking in rapid bursts. I had always wondered about crazy, freaked out first time dads as a product of Hollywood movies but I quickly reversed that opinion and put on my seatbelt after I saw Elysee.

 

After trying to calm him down we talked about what if something did go wrong. Hospital was 20 minutes away but he was adamant about not going to the hospital. However his brother had checked on the close by hospitals and none had a bed available. Pitocin which is used after delivery to contract the uterus and prevent bleeding could be bought at the pharmacy. The house was full of relatives. It was as if there was a party going on. The "Delivery Suite" was 2 floors up. It was a large king bed which we covered with plastic sheeting.

 

Gwenlynn started walking in the courtyard with help from her mother and sister while I hung around suggesting certain rocking movements, checking on the fetal heart tones and watching the small crowd of people gathered around the TV watching "super ball". That I did not expect!!

 

As the night wore on some relatives left and the generator was switched off to save the fuel. She labored with candles and hymns sung softly by her mother.

 

After 6 hours of slow progress I told Elysee that if with her next exam did not show progress we should go to the hospital. even though he did not want to. So the generator was turned on. I broke the water bag to reveal meconium (which is when a baby has a bowel movement inside) which is usually not a good sign but also concerning was I could not hear fetal heart tones on the doppler which I had difficulty to begin with. The good news was she was 10 cm, the bad news was Gwenlynn was done with this whole delivery business and was exhausted and did not want to push.

 

Again, the good news was with a superhuman effort she pushed that head out, the bad news was the shoulder got stuck behind the pelvic bones. This is normally considered a OB emergency and every second counts. While I was barking out orders in English to a scared family who was looking up to Elysee to translate....he completely lost it. He ran across the room and screamed in my ear for her to push and had to be pushed out of the room. However my helpers understood my sign language and soon with some maneuvers we welcomed baby Karina into our world!! She was a little limp but blessedly pink. She soon perked up and was breast feeding like a champ. Elysee was back, tears dried up and all smiles and sure enough broke into a song and dance with some Indian war cry into the mix! He came and hugged me and thanked me for saving "my light, my life".

 

As I lay down for a few hours of sleep, I was glad I was there for I could not imagine them doing this on their own. I am also aware that despite my training things could have gone bad really fast. I said a prayer to the powers watching over Elysee and his family and I was grateful to be part of love and life in a place of pain and suffering.

I have attached some pictures of Karina and her doting family.

 

Karina

 

Karina 2

 

February 9

Heartland Alliance Haiti Country Director Ramsey Ben-Achour discusses the challenges of reuniting children with their families on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360":

February 6

Update from social worker Rebecca Mervis:

 

We saw a 15 year old girl today who was a Restavek before the earthquake. Restaveks are children who are employed as domestic workers for families. The girl's parents both died when she was five years old; her grandmother could not take care of her, so she gave her to another family as a Restavek. The girl told us that the family did not hit her or physically abuse her in any way, but they were mean to her, calling her names and not always feeding her. She had been separated from the family during the earthquake, and although she had been calling them on their cell phone and looking for them, she had not heard from them. She had been living on the street for the past few weeks with two friends, who shared whatever food they found. While we were talking, one of her friends came to tell her that she had just seen the family that employed the girl and they were back in their home and wanted her to come back. We talked to her about trying to find an orphanage placement or connecting her to an organization that helps Restaveks. She explained that she was not interested and could have gone to an orphanage on her own, as there was one in the neighborhood in which she lived. The reason she had come to us was because she wanted us to take her home with us and adopt her. We explained why we could not adopt her, and she told us that she preferred going back to her Restavek family over being in an orphanage. What is heartbreaking about both this case and the boy from my previous entry whose entire family died in the earthquake while he was playing soccer is that these are two children out of so many with similar stories. There are an estimated 300,000 Restaveks in Haiti and an estimated tens of thousands children orphaned in the earthquake. I am usually able to be fairly objective as a social worker, but when a child with very few options asks you to take her home with you, it is heartbreaking.

 

February 4

Update from Lina AbuJamra, MD, MBA:

 

I can't believe our time in Haiti is almost over. My team of six – 3 doctors, 2 nurses, and a nurse practitioner – left the United States a little timid but ready to save the world a little over 10 days ago. With only one remaining day left before we head home, it's time to step back and reflect over some of the highlights of our time here.

 

My first exposure to Heartland Alliance occurred two weeks ago. As far as I was concerned, any group that was willing to sponsor me to spend two weeks doing medical relief work in a disaster area was A Okay! As we sat in the van driving the 6 hours from Santo Domingo to Port au Prince, I began to hear more and more about the amazing work Heartland Alliance has done on behalf of children around the world, and now, given an opportunity to do even more, Heartland couldn't resist in reaching out to meet the medical needs of children after one of the greatest disasters of all time!

 

I also soon learned that many of my preconceived fears over coming to Haiti were just slightly affected by the media. Whereas I was expecting to sleep in a tent for 2 weeks without running water or electricity and in great physical danger, I would quickly learn that Sean Casey of Heartland Alliance had saved the day by finding a safe place for us to stay in as well as the comforts necessary to do our job well: running water, a generator for electricity, clean drinking water, and much  more. Sean also made sure we were always accompanied by a security personnel and interpreters so that we never felt unsafe during the two week stay.

 

Because of the great care the folks at Heartland Alliance provided us, we were able to tackle or work in full force and with great results. Though we began our journey providing care for the children at SOS-Children's Villages orphanage, within 24 hours of arriving to Port au Prince we met and began collaborating with a group of physicians with a medical site based at the central downtown soccer stadium. We would become the main medical providers for this displaced community, with over 300 patients cared for each day.

 

Though our medical clinic began with a pediatric focus, we soon were joined by Dr.Thota of Heartland Alliance and we picked up a secondary focus on women's health. Before long, our clinic picked up a group of surgeons from the Philippines, and a Haitian OB/Gyn who lost his medical practice in the earthquake so that we would become a multi specialty care provider clinic.

 

Rumor has it that people at the stadium and the surrounding area have named us the best doctors to provide care at the soccer stadium, but I cannot confirm that with a specific source!!

 

As we prepare to leave Haiti in 24 hours, our hope lies in the fact that Heartland Alliance has committed to continue providing medical care by replacing our team by 2 others over the next 4 weeks. There are also ongoing plans to secure long term funding for an integrated community health center with primary care and mental health services.  The groundwork has been laid. Dr. McNulty, our team's medical director, has worked 24/7 to provide outstanding leadership and to secure our team with the supplies needed to provide excellent care to thousands of patients.  It is our responsibility to continue the work that has been started thanks to Heartland Alliance.

 

I would end by saying a simple thank you. These two weeks have been personally rewarding and one of the best experiences of my life. What should have been a stressful and fear filled fortnight has turned into a memorable and joy filled time. I have been reminded of God's goodness, of the privilege of life, and the strength of community. And I have been able to provide healing to a handful of people. That is a gift I cannot place a value on.

 

So to everyone at Heartland Alliance, thank you for your support and your vision.

 

Update from social worker Rebecca Mervis:

 

Yesterday, the other social worker and I went to the soccer stadium, which has been turned into a camp for internally displaced people. Our medical team has set up a clinic there, and they have been getting many complaints about stress related ailments. We led a group for pregnant women, who are all concerned about how the aftermath of the earthquake will affect the health of their babies. Once we started meeting with individual patients, we were overwhelmed with requests and did not have time to talk with everyone.

 

The doctors referred a child orphaned in the earthquake to us. He was playing soccer with his friends during the earthquake; he went home to discover that his house had collapsed. He watched his neighbor pull out his parents, grandmother and baby sister from the rubble. His mother and grandmother survived the initial impact, and before she died, his mother told him not to stay with a neighbor or family who might try to take him in, because she was worried that they would hurt him or make him a restavek. Restaveks are children taken in by other families as domestic workers; sometimes this is arranged by their families, and sometimes the children are orphaned or abandoned. The child's mother told him that if a group came to help children after the earthquake, it was okay to go with them because they would take care of him. His grandmother survived for three days after the earthquake before succumbing to her injuries.

 

While interviewing him, we discovered that the boy has been coughing up blood for several months. The child was given a chest x-ray, which was clear. He has been living in a makeshift tent he created from a bed sheet but is scared of staying there alone. People have been stealing the food he gets from the food distributions at the camp. We were not able to find a placement for him until this morning, so we arranged for a family in the camp to take care of him last night. When we arrived this morning, he was standing outside our medical tents waiting for us. His face lit up when he saw us, and he immediately waved and ran over to us. Despite the fact that he has barely had food for the last three weeks, when we gave him a granola bar and water, he immediately shared both things with a nearby child. He seemed happy and relieved to find out that the government will be able to place him in an orphanage, although he looked sad as he kissed us good-bye.

 

Update from volunteer physician Mark Rastetter:

 

Today, a patient was brought into our clinic site on a mattress, unable to walk. Her house had crumbled and a part fell on her back. She sought care at first, but was sent home from a clinic or hospital. She was brought today by her cousin as she had not been able to walk or sit up since the accident. It was apparent to me after history and an exam that she had a spinal cord injury. That created a multitude of problems. Most urgently, where to go. Issues exist day to day on which hospitals are open or which have surgical capacity, so it is difficult, especially finding a qualified spine surgeon.

 

Through an elaborate exploration of contacts we were able to get through to the USS Comfort and I spoke with a General and house physician who after a discussion of the case, were willing to accept.

 

So then started our journey. A rigged up pick-up truck/ambulance, a beat up mattress and a folding table/gurney, a team of Haitian men riding in the truck with our 29 y/o female patient trying their best to reduce the shock of the pot-hole filled streets of Haiti. Then myself, a social worker, our country director-cum logistics coordinator - and his brother, an NPR journalist. I felt a bit like I was part of an oceans 11 scheme....

 

We made it to the dock, an old Haitian coast guard base, to find that somehow our protocol of transport to the USS Comfort may not have been as linear as they wanted. To my luck, though, the person I spoke with on the phone was a high ranking officer capable of making executive decisions. So it was set, our patient was going to make it.

 

Two great things then happened, first a 4 year old Haitian girl who had survived orthopedic surgery was ready to come back from the ship, second, she was being brought back by a helicopter. After she was handed off to her awaiting, joy filled family, the pilots asked if we needed them to take our patient. So within 5 minutes we had another transport set up.

 

The walk to the helicopter was probably the most emotional for me.

 

Carrying the patient to the helicopter with her eyes filled with tears of likely nervousness and gratitude looking at me repeating the words thank you, thank you, thank you...

 

To watch a helicopter take off, fly to a  ship and take off 5 minutes later with a successful transfer is a very satisying feeling I have come to find out... I pray her hospital course is successful. I am continously grateful and in awe of human kindness and community fellowship, especially in times of tragedy and rebuilding... 

 

January 25

Today three Heartland Alliance volunteer medical teams will be arriving in Haiti to provide pediatric medical services to children who are orphaned or separated from their parents. The physicians and nurses work with Heartland Alliance through a partnership with Children's Memorial Hospital. The teams are arriving laden with essential medical supplies. Our services are being provided in Croix des Bouquets, which will be a major tent city that is expected to house over 100,000 individuals.

 

A team from Heartland Alliance's International Children's Center is traveling to Haiti to assist the Child Protection Working Group. From our observation, there's been evidence of child slavery and trafficking. It is critical that security precautions be established, along with a strategy for short- and long-term care of these unaccompanied or orphaned children.

 

The elderly, particularly former nursing home residents who are now living on the street, are in need of medical attention. Many of these individuals have had no medical assessment since the earthquake. Saving lives is a top priority. Heartland Alliance is recruiting a medical team to leave later this week.

 

Locally, our O'Hare team continues to meet every United flight of evacuees that arrives. Heartland Alliance staff and volunteers assure that everyone is safe and has relatives who will be meeting them, work with United Airlines to book them to their final destination, and handle any emergency needs. Our health team will be providing medical services to arriving evacuees, as it is anticipated that future evacuees will arrive with injuries, amputations, or other medical conditions. Likewise, any unaccompanied children will be placed in Heartland Alliance's custody and care.

 

January 21

Our team of staff and doctors on the ground in Haiti is safe and is working around the clock.

 

Our staff team from Heartland Alliance was at O'Hare Airport last evening to welcome the first flight from Port-au-Prince, assist in their arrival processing, and ensure that everyone was sheltered for the night. Volunteers and staff are also assisting in rebooking individuals this morning and throughout today.

 

Another flight is expected tonight -- and it is likely there will be daily flights for the near future. Heartland Alliance's team worked diligently through the night to make sure that all evacuees were cared for and had future relocation plans.

 

In the event that unaccompanied children arrive with a population of orphans who are approved for adoption, those unaccompanied children will be placed with Heartland Alliance. Our role will be to provide comprehensive residential, medical, counseling, and support services. And we will work with international organizations, the US government, and the Haitian government to evaluate if the children have been orphaned or have been separated from their families as a result of the post-earthquake turmoil.

 

Updates From the Field

Sean Casey, Director of International Programs updates from Haiti

  It just started raining in Port au Prince for the first time since the quake. This is going to be a very hard and sad day for the hundreds of thousands of people sleeping outside.
February 11, 7:05 am

Just found an orphaned child with suspected TB. Transported to hospital. Gave food. Getting tests now. Need to try to find placement...
February 3, 2:36 pm

 

A wall just collapsed five feet in front of my car. It was like an explosion. Everyone cleared out just before it hit.
Jan 30, 12:49 pm

Still in Haiti. Three mobile medical teams now operational. Child trafficking prevention program starts Monday.
Jan 30, 5:00 am

 

Special update from a doctor in the field: Team went into soccer stadium for urgent pediatric needs - saw several infants [suffering] from sepsis/diarrhea/dehydration. Team is reenergized and ready to go up into the city where people are unable to get down to field hospitals. We are near the cental park where the largest tent city exists. 
Jan 28, 3:44 pm

 

Mobile clinics have seen nearly 200 patients in their first three hours. We've done hospital transfers for critical cases. Huge immediate success.
Jan 27, 11:29 am

Worked a 19-hour day, but got the pediatrics clinics ready to launch at 7am. Now for three hours of sleep...
Jan 27, 1:22 am

Got the drugs for the mobile clinics. Docs en route. Now trying to set up a system to stop child trafficking at borders. Maybe I'll sleep in February...

 

Jan 25, 3:32 pm

 

Need French and Spanish-speaking social workers ready to come to Haiti for a month.
Jan 25, 3:30 pm

 

Very stressful but productive day. Now trying to get HIV meds for lots of people living with HIV who no longer have their drugs. Mobile medical teams hit the streets on Wednesday. And lots of other work to be done...
Jan 24, 8:13 pm

Looking for a doctor and nurse team to come to Haiti this week. Need a geriatrician and nurse - ideally French-speaking. Two week commitment.
Jan 24, 5:07 am

Preparing for the incoming teams - three mobile pediatric units and a child protections team to work on trafficking prevention. We're focusing our support on communities that have not received any medical care since the quake. Also trying to prevent child trafficking for labor or sexual exploitation - already a huge problem.
Jan 23, 10:46 pm

Successful day. Launching three mobile pediatric clinical units on Monday...
Jan 22, 8:01 pm

Planning the day. Visiting an orphanage where 300 newly-orphaned kids are headed in the coming days to try to establish medical and psychological services. And hopefully figuring out how to support elderly victims from destroyed nursing homes.
Jan 22, 6:24 am

Working to set up mobile health clinics around Port au Prince. Hopefully operational on Monday or Tuesday.
Jan 21, 9:26 pm

Participating in protection cluster meeting in Port au Prince now.
Jan 21, 10:57 am

In Port au Prince
Jan 20, 1:39 pm

In Haiti
Jan 20, 12:26 pm

Almost to the DR/Haiti border. We're going by land so we can take a load of fuel and water. Should be in PAP before dark.
Jan 20, 9:50 am

In Santo Domingo. Now for the tricky part...
Jan 19, 7:18 pm

On the way to Port au Prince
Jan 19, 6:40 am 

 

 

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