Credentials

    Another reason to travel with large organizations is adequate credentialing. Disasters will attract all sorts of people some of them the wrong kind.  You want to make sure that the doctor you are traveling with really is doctor.  This type of work can best be done by large organizations that are accustomed  to doing it.

New LLU blog for volunteers and donors

Jim Matiko has started a blog for volunteers with more recent reports from returning surgeons.

Fort Wayne Team

    Among the most helpful people we worked with was the team from Fort Wayne, Indiana.  Orthopaedic surgeons Ted Chaykowski and Matt Hicks came down with a PA Randy and an OR nurse Peggy. Randy spoke fluent Creole, having lived in Haiti, and was a great social and spiritual comfort to our patients. Peggy had been an OR supervisor and ran our sterilization and CS. This enabled Ted and Matt as well as the rest of the team to perform a large number of surgeries. It would be a great pleasure to serve with them again.  We hope it isn't necessary.

 

Ted, far left, and Matt, far right, finish a dressing change on an amputation. Peggy is irrigating while Randy supports the leg.

Scott Nelson's photos

Scott has posted his photos from the earthquake.  http://www.pbase.com/scottnelson/haiti_earthquake

New Blog from Parkridge Team

Go to the Parkridge in Haiti listed above left for an amazing set of new pictures and stories.

Extra food - variety

Volunteers packed in extra food in case we ran out.  Our team tended to pack power bars of the granola variety while the CURE group over at the community hospital brought Pop Tarts.  If we had been smart we would have traded some granola bars for some Pop Tarts and both teams would have been better off.

Fluids and Electrolytes

Haiti is much warmer than the United States and Europe this time of year.  In spite of our efforts several members of our team got behind probably in their electrolyte intake. You may want to bring some replacement electrolytes.