Yesterday was a travel day for me (Tucson to Hartford) and so I wasn't able to post much. I did get an email from Pam Koprowski this morning with a compelling journal written by Dr. Patty Jorquera, a doctor with T LC Pediatrics. I've been a bit frustrated not to share more anecdotes from the Clinic but they just haven't come to me and I certainly won't fabricate things. So, I'm very pleased to post what Patty sent.
Wed January 27th: Picked up donations of medical supplies (antibiotics, ointments, wound treatments, gloves, etc.) from Cia Marion at Americares. I also carried $1,000 in donations from friends, which was used toward purchasing food and cloth diapers to distribute to our patients. Left for Haiti that night with my medical assistant from TLC Pediatrics, Anna Socci. We traveled with Danielle, Lauren, Dawn, and Jim (our group leader). We took 61 suitcases and flew on Jet Blue, free of charge.
Thursday Jan 28th: Arrived at Santo Domingo. Stopped for groceries before crossing the border to Haiti for ourselves and for our patients. Arrived at Carrefour in the evening. Shortly after arrival, a man came in with a fresh deep laceration to his thumb, which I sutured and followed him up the next day.
Friday Jan 29th: Started working at 9 am. The medical team was composed of myself, Ann Guilli (RN from Stamford Hospital), Lauren Lyons (Pediatric Physical Therapist from Yale), Anna Socci (Medical Assistant from TLC Pediatrics). We worked every day from 9-5 (except Sunday, and then from 1:00-5:00).
The most common conditions we saw were deep wounds, many of which were infected. We followed patients with infected and deep wounds daily for dressing changes and monitoring. All recovered well, with no need for amputations. Other common conditions were diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration. We treated children with oral rehydration fluid, and many were treated for parasites with Albendazole, which was donated to us by a doctor from the UN.
We saw many families infected with scabies, and ran out of Elimite cream within two days. Other common skin conditions were tinea, infected insect bites, and abscesses, most of which I had to drain. Numerous patients came with hypertension and some patients in "hypertensive crisis", which we treated with Lasix and education on complete salt removal from diet. Vaginitis of all forms were also extremely common.
Many of the children appeared malnourished, especially those who were no longer lactating. Most also suffered from chronic intestinal parasites, which caused them loss of appetite, abdominal pain, and poor growth. We provided all pregnant women and lactating mothers with prenatal vitamins. We saw at least 6 newborns who had lost their mothers during the earthquake, and appeared dehydrated and malnourished. We gave them several samples of formula and they returned for follow up with much improvement. We also provided them with food, blankets, and diapers.
We saw some chronic conditions for which we could offer some temporary relief, such as arthritis pain, headaches, body aches due to sleeping on the floor without much bedding, etc. We treated them with samples of Tylenol, Motrin and Aleve.
Even though we opened at 9 a.m., people started lining up at the door at 6 a.m. We gave priority to those who appeared ill, wounded, with small children, pregnant and the elderly. Medical Team 2 saw an average of at least 175 patients per day (although about 150 families were registered daily, most had several children).
On February 2nd, a team composed of Dr. David Walker from Yale, Vic Tolentino (RN from Yale), Susie Elles (RN from Yale), and Karen Joseph (RN from Norwalk Hospital) arrived in the afternoon. We introduced them to the clinic on Wednesday February 3rd and worked with them until we returned on Saturday February 6th.
On Wednesday February 3rd we purchased more food to distribute to patients and picked up medical supplies from Americares at Port au Prince. Our contact person was Brian Hoyer. We tried to establish relationships with other foundations.
On the evening of Friday February 4th we visited "Hope for Haiti", located at the Salisien. The are sponsored by the IMC. They donated some medical supplies.
Some other thoughts:
1) Most people are homeless, sleeping on the streets only protected by sheets. When the rainy season arrives (which I believe starts in March-April) we may see a resurgence of all types of disease. The people need tents ASAP and platforms to raise their bedding off the floor. I will try my best to try to obtain donated tents from all my contacts.
2) There is no waste pick up in Haiti: the garbage collects in street corners and is burned every few days. Burned plastic is very polluting, so instead of donating disposable diapers, which then need to be burned, I suggest collecting cloth diapers, which can be reused.
Anyway, I know this is very lengthy. Thanks,
Patricia Jorquera, MD
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