Evergreen Rotary

Haiti Medical Mission: Beneficial for All

By [tag]Brenda Hagerman[/tag]

Below is an article that I composed and submitted to The Rotarian magazine about the medical mission to [tag]Haiti[/tag] that [tag]Marcia Walsh[/tag] and myself participated n January. As there is a chance it will never appear in print, we are sharing it with you here:

Field Report for The Rotarian Magazine

In January 2007, two Rotarians from Evergreen, Colorado joined a medical mission to Haiti organized by The Colorado Haiti Project. For Marcia Walsh, this would be her nineteenth mission trip to Haiti. For Brenda Hagerman, this would be her first. The group consisted of one pediatrician, one nurse practitioner, four RNs, one LPN, two retired school teachers, one retired computer analyst, a priest and her husband, and a high school student. Expectations were mixed, as they all knew that they were entering the second poorest country in the world and that kidnapping of foreigners for ransom was not uncommon.

From Port-au-Prince, this crew, along with 65 large duffle bags of medicines, medical supplies, shoes (to give away), tents, and toys, traveled over rough terrain for seven hours and 90 miles to arrive at their destination. St Paul’s Episcopal Mission, near
Petit Trou des Nippes, is an oasis for the community and would be their home for 8 days. The only delay on the trip there was to render aid to a young Haitian man who had fallen off a camion (large industrial size truck use for public transport). His broken leg required a tourniquet and a splint (which was made from a cardboard box that our lunch was packed in). He was lucky that Marcia travels with a first aid kit!

By Monday morning, the long wooden “church pews/school desks” were back in the school building and the church was now the clinic! The pharmacy was set up in the only room that could be locked up at night. Stations were set up for weighing and measuring each of the 600+ school children, weighing babies, and taking vitals, and doing triage.

The Colorado group was joined by two Haitian doctors and two Cuban doctors. They each set up their “office” all around on the altar, separated by hanging sheets.

Each day, many Haitians showed up at the front door of the “church/clinic”. Mothers with babies and mothers-to-be, young and old, all came by foot, donkey, horse, bicycle, or camion. Some even brought the “kitchen”, more or less, to prepare meals on the church grounds.

Fortunately, there was a good supply of young Haitian men to serve as interpreters. They went back and forth between Creole, French, English, and even Spanish. Reading the handwritten prescriptions was a real challenge for the pharmacy crew but they managed to fill over 1600 prescriptions. Home visits were made to Petit Trou after the clinic closed each day for medical treatment for entire extended families. A Haitian dentist also spent the week at the clinic. He managed to pull over 800 teeth in five days!

Beyond a doubt, this mission was beneficial to the people of that area that have little access to medical care. Many new friendships were made and renewed between the Colorado team and the Haitians and the Cubans as we worked, dined, and played together. St. Paul’s was no stranger to the Evergreen Rotary Club, as this club supplied the communication satellite dish that allows them access to the outside world. Later this year, it is hoped that several Evergreen Rotarians can go back to this area to start a Rotary Club.

Yes, many benefits were gained for all concerned… today and for the future.