Two volunteer medical teams were working at the Clinic of Hope in February and early March. Thank you to these team members and to those who provide support from home.
Read more about what’s happening in Terre Blanche in our March 2011 newsletter.
After you have seen it once, the diagnosis of cholera seems possible in the eyes alone. The afflicted stare into the miasma, their eyes literally sunk into their skulls, eyes that portray panic or resignation depending on the progression of the disease. Cholera is horrifying in speed and viciousness, and it is certainly inflicting that fear on the people of Terre Blanche, Haiti.
One such patient was brought into the clinic courtyard during morning devotions on a door her family used as a stretcher…
Read more of this story and other cholera facts in the Haiti Foundation of Hope December newsletter.
Also in this month’s newsletter…
The Clinic of Hope has outgrown its space since it opened its doors in 2007 and now construction has started on an addition to the clinic building. Learn more about the project.
Outside the clinic.
Written by Dr. Joe Markee, one of the team leaders for the November medical team working in Haiti:
As we start our last day, we are facing a situation we’ve never encountered. Over the past several days, we have been seeing sicker patients, with a sudden increase in the number of cases of cholera. Since many patients are coming from Port-au-Prince, this may represent the patients’ impetus to seek care wherever they can find it. But it does not change the conclusion the that cholera epidemic has destroyed the fragile network that we use for transferring patients needing hospitalization for further medical care.
Our pediatrician commented last night that he is not used to the pace of caring for so many extremely ill patients (he is also an ER doctor). Case in point: We have a 1-year-old patient who probably has an intestinal obstruction. We first saw him two days ago, and we wanted to send him to Dessalines but could not do so because of the danger of sending our vehicles out at night. Yesterday, when he did arrive at their hospital, we were told they could not keep him because they had no surgeon. Calls to find a surgeon were made but without success so he spent a second night with us. Today, we will try Gros Morne again, and we’re praying that he will be able to be seen by a surgical team coming in on Saturday to work near Port-au-Prince.
Our nurses say this is the worst they have ever seen in this area; so many sick patients. The observation room is filled, patients are lying on the floor in the clinic in almost all of the rooms, and several very sick cholera patients are on IVs in the church across the street. We are running through so many IV solutions that we expect to be completely out sometime today. Yesterday we requested more fluids from Gonaives but won’t know until noon if they are available. So rounds now consists of seeing patients in three locations, making sure IVs don’t run out.
If that wasn’t enough, yesterday we had two trauma cases, one being one of the leaders of our community health program. Fortunately, neither had major life-threatening injuries. Nevertheless, they were sent to hospital facilities, and seen here again today.
Fear is rampant in the country. Our partners in Haiti have had to scour the countryside for rice and beans for our patients because of the hoarding by the population.
But we are healthy, tired and still going … We do not think the cholera epidemic is about to go way any time soon. I have no doubt that we will be dealing with this disaster on future teams.
Pray for the people of Haiti.
Papa Joe
Written by Dr. Joe Markee, who is with the medical team currently working in Haiti:
Often when we arrive, we see a “backlog” of patients who seem to waiting for our return. We have been holding clinic daily since Thursday so the usual “Monday crush” of urgent patients was spread over the last four days. Nevertheless, we have seen a number of neglected cases such as severe abscesses and infections (malaria, typhoid fever but, surprisingly, not many cases of cholera).
Often patients tell us that they have not been able to see doctors because “mwen pa gen kob” (I don’t have money to go to the doctor). This shows, I feel, that they know they can be seen in our clinic whether or not they can pay.
The other striking finding is the fact that many patients have been waiting to be seen without having eaten, often for several days. Every surgical case we have done has been on patients who do not have enough money even to feed themselves for several days before they come to the clinic (not to mention their family). It was such a joy to see our kitchen staff bring food to the patients and their families last at night after we finished surgery.
Thanks to the wonderful benefactors who have supplied the funds for rice and beans for the patients at the Clinic of Hope. More than ever, in the midst of a hurricane, this has been a life-saving gift.
Our November medical team has been working at the Clinic of Hope in northern Haiti as Hurricane Tomas passed by the country this week, bringing lots of rain and wind. The team is safe and continues to see patients. There doesn’t appear to be any damage in the area where the clinic is located, however, there is a lot of flooding in the nearby city of Gonaives.
The team has also found themselves dealing with the cholera epidemic that has recently developed in Haiti.
Here is a report from Linda Markee, one of the team leaders:
Yesterday (Thursday) was a day of preparation for Hurricane Tomas. The government announced all schools were to be closed Thursday and Friday. (Of course many children in our school – located on the same compound as the clinic – had not gotten the message and there were several hundred at school. They were sent home after lunch.) People bought almost all the rice and beans in Gonaives, so we are thankful that rice for the clinic and the school was purchased last Monday.
Last night we made the clinic ready for the hurricane. We secured the windows and took everything off the roof. Thankfully, one of the team members remembered the solar panels so he and others brought them off the roof also.
When we got up Friday morning there was still no rain, but everyone was waiting. The sky was overcast. A few families came into the school compound to “live.” We did see patients Friday morning and early afternoon. By late afternoon it had started to rain with force! We just stood on the deck over the front entrance to the clinic and could see the road in front of the clinic had turned into a river. Several animals were running by … a goat jumped up into the new waiting area. The two kids playing there finally chased off the goat. You could also hear animals “crying.”
In the midst of all of this we are dealing with the cholera epidemic. When I was home I had the impression from the news that it was subsiding and had not reached Gonaives, but this is not so.
After arriving in Haiti, we were told that the government has a policy that includes all cholera patients in this area be sent to either Gonaives or Gros Morne. They do not want local clinics to keep these patients. The Haitian staff at the Clinic of Hope decided that we Americans were not to take care of the cholera patients. The Haitian workers are screening patients before they enter the clinic and if cholera is suspected they are sent across the street to the church, where Haitian medical staff will see them and give treatment before transporting them to Gonaives or Gros Morne … Needless to say, it is a tough time.
Several team members went to Gros Morne yesterday. There have been a total of 250 cholera patients in their cholera ward, with 5 deaths. The day before they admitted 30 new cases (the largest number in one day). However, the doctor there feels that there are many people far away with cholera who just cannot make it to the clinic and they are dying without getting into the “statistics.”
Written in Haiti by Laura Mackie, June 2010 team member:
Terre Blanche. So fabulous to be back. Still the tranquil and breathtaking village – and there is a new building since I’ve been here. I was pleasantly surprised to see the new church that was built and it was a blessing to worship there on Sunday with my Haitian brothers and sisters.
We started clinic on Sunday afternoon and it has been running smoothly – yet there are so many extremely sick patients that we have seen already. Many have been kept overnight in our observation room and they are constantly in our prayers.
I had the privilege to work with Dr. Joe and he trained me on the ultrasound machine. It is quite the sight to witness the baby on that little machine and an honor to tell its mother what gender it will be … quite the experience. I “found” two babies that were news to their mother and the joy in their faces was a sight. Joe explained to me that they don’t have social security here but rather invest in their children – who will eventually care for them. Which explains why so many infertile women come to the clinic because it is definitely going to affect their life in the long run. Just another example of the hardships that these people endure.
While life is still hard in Terre Blanche, this clinic continues to offer hope through many venues. The work of the Lord is apparent here – and I believe that it’s only just begun.
Report from Haiti:
The June medical team has arrived safely in Haiti. Our travels went smoothly and we arrived at the Clinic of Hope on Friday evening in time for a delicious Haitian meal. Saturday was spent setting up the clinic and settling into our home for the next week.
Today we woke to the sound of music coming from the church across the road. After breakfast – and a walk for the early risers on the team – we went to church. We’re now taking a “kabicha” (noontime break) before we start clinic. Patients are already lined up and waiting for us.
Thank you to everyone who is keeping us in their thoughts and prayers this week.
One of our Haitian partners working with the visiting medical team at the Clinic of Hope asked today for prayers for his country. He asked for people to pray for the leadership in Haiti.
He also spoke about the problem of food. He said it’s difficult to live with chronic hunger – many Haitians do this – but to hear your children cry day and night because they are hungry and to not be able to do anything about it is impossible to bear.
The medical team has been able to distribute beans and rice to all the patients coming to the clinic. And we want thank the all churches, organizations and individuals who have made this possible because of their generous donations.
Dr. Joe Markee, a member of the medical team, wrote, “Nothing says ‘thank you’ better than this: Yesterday I did a minor surgical procedure on a patient who had not eaten for at least one day. She told me she couldn’t come back for her post-operative exam because she couldn’t afford the ‘tap-tap’ ride from Gros Morne to Terre Blanche (less than 10 miles away). Can you imagine the expression on her face when Pastor Delamy gave her food and enough money to return for her follow-up visit?”
Another team member, Ann Petersen, wrote: “This afternoon a truck arrived at the clinic with sacks of beans and rice. As I watched the sacks being unloaded, repackaged and then given to each patient coming through the clinic I was reminded of the many people back in the states who gave so generously, allowing us to meet the great need. We have heard many stories of those who do not have enough food for their families. Crops have failed for the last two years in the Terre Blanche area which has made food scarce. Thank you to all.”
The March medical team has safely arrived in Terre Blanche. Most of the team is from the Northwest and one team member, from Ohio, joined them at the Miami airport before the flight into Port-au-Prince. All the team’s baggage, including supplies for the week ahead, arrived without any problem.
As they traveled out of the city, team members didn’t see huge areas of devastation from the earthquake but they did notice a large number of tents or tarps set up in the yards of people’s houses – a reminder that people are still fearful of staying indoors. Earthquake tremors continue to be felt in Haiti.
Once in Terre Blanche, the team was greeted with singing and a prayer of thanksgiving.
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