Two updates 23rd and 25th January 2010

Information Release for Newly-orphaned Children

Dear NPH Family,
First, we would like to thank everyone for their support and willingness to respond during this difficult time. All of your help has been greatly appreciated. After the earthquake struck, the immediate response of our NPFS (NPH-Haiti) team was to make sure our children were safe and then focus on the injured. Having achieved this, we have begun focusing on serving the growing population of newly orphaned children. The UN estimates there are 600 tent cities, with anywhere from 1,000 to tens of thousands of people. There is no sanitation, no food, no water or medical care. Our goal is to reach these communities through continuing our medical brigades, food stations and by implementing a program that gives children accessibility to a clean environment, food, water and activities. This “Day Camp” will target children living in these tent cities. Our team will begin by working within the communities and parks where we have contacts through the St. Luke Outreach programs. We are known and trusted within this existing format. With the help of the St Luke staff and those ex-pequeños that grew up at our St Helen orphanage in Kenscoff, but now have no home since the earthquake, we will bring children to our day camp and return them to their families at night. We will begin an intake process for those whom we can establish do not have a family. Since there were a number of adoption programs going on in Haiti before the earthquake struck, we also need to determine which children might have been already promised under these programs. Children who are orphaned or apparently abandoned and not awaiting completion of adoption will be integrated into our family at St Helen. As you can imagine, we can expect the orphan identification and integration process will be quite arduous. Alfonso Leon of NPHI Family Services is leading the team to implement this program. He has 25 ex-pequeños assisting him along with a cook to prepare the meals. Two large tents with the capacity for 50 people have been set-up on the St. Luke soccer field located inside the Kay Germaine compound, adjacent to the St. Damien Medical hospital.

Please recognize that we do our best to determine an appropriate response to this emergency and provide aid immediately. We simply do not have time to hold conferences to receive input from everyone who has an opinion, so please be patient with our team on the ground as they develop this program.

We will be sending out more information as it is available.Thank you,Monica

Hospital Update 23rd January
dictated over phone by Robin Schwartz and Dr. Peter Tinnemann

There are 140 patients in the hospital and two-thirds are children. Sixty children are under five and 35 children are over five. Three mobile medical clinics were treating patients in the community and each treated roughly 80 patients each, mostly children.

The UN search and rescue efforts are officially coming to a halt, but on Saturday a 24-year old student was found alive. The estimated death toll is 110,000 and 600,000 people homeless. Estimates are 20,000 still injured and approximately 1,000 people need advanced medical care. Today we transported four patients to the USS Comfort for advanced care.

We are very grateful to all the people supporting us! Today we received a huge deliver of medical supplies sponsored by a TV audience in Germany. We also received one-month stock of rice, beans, oil and salt from the World Food Program. The American Academy of Pediatrics sent medicine along with casting materials which now gives us a sufficient stock.
Hollywood actor, Sean Penn visited the hospital on Friday and brought a much-needed supply of crutches. We are extremely grateful!

Fr. Rick arrived in Haiti Saturday morning after driving all night from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He is happy to be back in Haiti but shortly after his arrival, he was called to a meeting with Dr. Paul Farmer, co-founder of Partners in Health, to discuss the efforts in how to alleviate the suffering of the Haitian people. After the meeting, which was at the Port-au-Prince General Hospital, Fr Rick was interview by CNN. All the other meeting participants left in their air-conditioned cars parked between the rubble and stinking streets. But Fr. Rick mounted the back of a motorcycle and rushed back to the hospital. He prefers to use the same means of transport as the local people.

NPFS Update Thursday Jan 12th

Hospital Update
dictated over phone by Robin Schwartz and Dr. Peter Tinnemann

The hospital grounds are clearing up and patients are being discharged. Today there were more than 60 patients in the outpatient clinic. We have also sent some adult patients to another hospital site more suited for their care. A group of visiting physicians went with them to work for the day at their site. We are also working on getting spinal cord and neurosurgical cases to the USS Comfort.
We have four surgical teams from the US and Italy. These teams are complete teams that work 24-hour shifts. There are two major ORs and a small room transformed into an OR. They are still doing amputations. Our local hospital staff is working on getting back to pediatric care.
In collaboration with St. Helen, we brought children down from Kenscoff. This effort was important so they could see the work that the hospital is doing and to share with their peers because they are very far removed.
One medical team provided medical care today for 40 patients living in one of the many makeshift camps. They are not really a camp but thousands of blankets connected with wooden sticks to try and protect them against the wind. They have no food, no water, no sanitation and no medical care. These camps are a big concern to all organizations.
The St. Luke Outreach team is working on going out into the community to distribute water and they are discussing strategies about combating possible future outbreaks of disease. If the rains come these tent cities will be washed away.
We have an average of 80 volunteers excluding the Italian civil defense. Many of the volunteers are surgeons and physicians. We were very happy to receive surgical support from the first group of volunteer nurses. We appreciate all volunteers because the hospital staff is functioning at half capacity. Many staff have lost their homes, or family and have not been able to return to work. We do not have an exact number of missing staff.
We have a 35-year old man that arrived positive for tetanus and has severe, deep wounds. Having tetanus can result in convulsions when exposed to light and sound. This patient was located in the ER, which is quite loud and whenever someone was shouting, he then started to convulse. He was treated with Valium, but continue to speak to everyone in English saying, “please help me”. In most countries, tetanus is easily preventable. A single shot vaccine. Today we received a tetanus shipment from the WHO so we are no able to vaccinate all in-coming patients.
Channel 5 from Italy visited us today along with two Italian newspapers. Robin had a radio interview with a station in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Francisville Update

Marco Randon from Italy assists in managing the bakery at Francisville, the lot adjacent to the St Damien complex. They are baking 5,000 rolls a day for distributions and the people are reporting that it is a miracle to smell such a wonderful aroma. This effort helped immensely in the very first days when supplies were short and continues to help.

The walls at the car mechanic workshop are damaged, but all the machinery inside is safe. Paolo Basso from Italy is helping with repairs and maintenance, when not busy downloading supplies or giving support at the hospital. The warehouse at Francisville is becoming the main hub supply and temporary home for the Italian civil service including their helicopter-landing site.

Haiti Update Sunday 17 January

St. Damien Update
Today, Fr. Rick left to return to the US to take care of his dying mother. We wish him peace and safe travels during this difficult time. Meanwhile, Dr. Roberto from Italy is filling in as Medical Director of St. Damien.

Our triage is functioning nicely and we continue with registration but we aren't able to analyze figures yet; we should know more in the next few days.

The wounds of the patients that are coming in are getting worse. There are fractures and soft tissue injuries. Besides the medical volunteer teams that are on the way, we are receiving people at the door to volunteer. Today a team of traveling surgeons from the Dominican Republic were making castings. We are continually being amazed by our staff.

There are now tents in the back yard where the Italians set-up a state of the art operating system to help supplement our work.

The second OR is now functioning so people continue to receive surgery without pause.

The first of the ground shipment of supplies was received. Two trucks arrived with food and medical supplies organized by NPH DR, paid by Andrea Bocelli.

Patients and staff have returned to some areas of the hospital that were closed. The Italian Civil Defense forces said it was safe. This was a huge help because we were concerned for children that were exposed to the weather. People are afraid and not everyone wants to go inside. We are working on convincing the staff in a kind and practical manner.

A one-year-old baby arrived with part of her skull and face missing. A visiting celebrity, Jimmy Jean Luis took her photo to show on CNN’s Larry King Live tonight. We hope with this national exposure that we might be able to connect with an organization that can help us find her some continued medical assistance.

Today there were visits from the top two anchors of the UK, Sky TG 24 from Italy, LA 7 Telecom and American Fox 5. The journalists are typically overwhelmed when they visit us.

St Damien Update dictated over phone by Peter Tinnemann to Monica Gery

Media Links for NPFS

Here are some links to pictures and news reports that show the Hospital and the damage in Petionville.

This is the article featuring Gena and Meave from the Irish Times yesterday.

These pictures are also from yesterday. Thankfully it looks like they are getting some UN assistance now.

MonicaGery's other Picassa albums show clearly the damage to the hospital and the Fr Wasson Centre - the old hospice.

This is Fr Rick on NBC the day after he arrived - Friday.

This is an abc news report from St Damien also with Fr Rick. (You have to watch an ad before you get to it).

On a practical note Oxfam Ireland are urgently looking for volunteers collect funds. These are the Dublin contact details - ania.rutkowska@oxfamireland.org / 1850 30 40 55

Even if you feel that you can't do anything and feel helpless remember 'whatever your faith, religion, beliefs (or none)– please take a moment to pause, pray, meditate for those suffering in Haiti'.

If you have any other links of interest please let me know and I'll post them here.