Thursday, May 20, 2010

Near Riot Caused by Lynn and Laura







Laura wants me to tell the story about our work today at the "Canada" tent. We are doing the Hopital a big favor and have taken on the complicated task of discharging some patients from the tents around the hospital. Last week we organized a survey and determined that there are 46 patients in a total of about 20 tents. The patients need their families here also, as they feed and care for them, that swells the residents to 200 or more. The biggest nicest tent was donated by Canada. The first time I saw it I had this emotional reaction of love for Canada. This tent is beautiful, has room for 15 patients and was put up by the Canadian response team right after the quake. It is full of patients who were injured with amputations, and multiple fractures who are getting physical therapy from Handicap International/Christian Blind Mission (CBM).

Some of these patients are ready to be discharged. Discharged to where? Rubble, starvation?? It is no surprise that they do not want to leave. It is complicated but since I represent the Hopital, I can say that we need the beds for patients that are in the hospital that require only physical therapy. Due to the Grace of God there is an organization called the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is part of the UN. They have social workers who help find placement for patients who have been effected by the quake. They give each person a tent, a tarp and provide transportation to their home, if it is rubble they help them find a place to pitch their tent. They help the patients get to medical appointments.

The IOM came to the Hopital to take 4 patients today. I had patients to move into their spaces so I went out to the Canada tent to determine where the new patients would be placed. I noticed that 4 of the cots had been folded up and placed with the departing patients belongings. This is a problem. Places to lie down are at a premium. We do not have enough beds in the hospital, in the ER yesterday my patient was getting her IV hydration lying on the floor.

I called Luke our sweet young administrator on the walky talky and informed him that the patients were leaving with their cots unless he came down here and did something. Next thing I know a determined looking Haitian woman with big hair comes striding through the crowd with a nice Haitian man following behind. A loud conversation begins in Creole and voices get heated, people start moving in and Sherie from CBM and I start slowly backing out of the tent. We back way out of the crowd and listen for many minutes. Pretty soon the man and woman come out and carry the cots into the hospital. There were angry people looking at us and saying all kinds of things, but I had no clue so didn't take it personally. My interpreter said at one point that a lady said "I have no bed". I looked her in the eyes and said, "I am sorry". At the same time I thought of the little boy with the multiple operations on his leg that needed that cot, the elderly woman who was crushed in the earthquake and has not walked since, who was supposed to move onto that cot. I love these people all of them.
With time things settled down, the 4 people left and we moved the new patients into the Canada tent.

Kudos to Tami W. for sticking with the urgent care tent for the whole 2 weeks. Day in and day out she dedicated herself to serving the endless flow of out patients presenting for care. It is a hot, humid tent, filled with patients waiting to be evaluated. I am sure she is tired and has learned more that she ever dreamed possible.

We are saying our goodbyes all over the hospital. I only cried when I said goodbye to my baby Sara and her Mom. I hope to organize another team in January. Let me know if you want to join us. We have a great team coming in tomorrow so this blog will continue to bring you the story of the Ukiah Team at the Hopital Adventist d'Haiti.

Pictures: Painting of the Earthquake, Michelle our pediatrician with Sara and her Mom, The Canada tent in front of the Hopital, The Second Ukiah Team at 6:30 am, Tami in the urgent care tent, Cindy with her baby in the ER.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the updates. You are keeping the memories alive.

    Dr Mohammad Arain

    ReplyDelete