Local doctors, nurses, donations doing good work in Haiti
Published Monday November 17th, 2008
GUEST COLUMN — The last six months have been extremely busy for the volunteers of Haiti Village Health. We have officially opened and are working from our own clinic, have hired a new Haitian nurse and doctor, started a Medica Mamba nutritional support program for severely malnourished children, grown our family planning program and broadly expanded our Village Outreach, which proved to be a great challenge with equally great rewards.
Our last team in May included both new and returning members from across Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland, comprising 15 doctors, nurses and support personnel including Miramichi's own Dr. Carl and James Hudson, Amy Buckley and the indomitable McMahons, Pat and Nancy.
On top of the clinic's completion we also met with another great change in the village, the completion of the Guest House. This structure, built on top of our local representative's home, means that our members will no longer have to sleep outside in tents or the bare floors of empty school rooms. Still, as seems always
the case, one of the first tasks, while the medical staff prepared the clinic area, was left to our invaluable support personnel, that of getting the power on and the water running. In our most recent shipment of supplies a solar power system had arrived along with a small water pump and following an afternoon of labour, strong language and head scratching we were blessed with two of life's little miracles — electric light and running water, proving for all of us here at home it is possible to live just a little greener when we have to.
Constructed through private and dedicated donations ,this facility, while basic, is equipped with locally-made beds and mosquito nets, flush toilets and indoor showers. Better yet, it has already played host to other aid groups operating in the area and looking for a base of operations. The fees charged provide jobs to local women and our support personnel when we are not there and provides funds that are applied to the continued operation of the clinic.
Thanks to good old solar power, I am pleased to say that the backup generator was blissfully silent for the remainder of the trip. I should say that the power was not only for our own benefit. With a laptop, a digital projector, a sheet and copies of all the Shrek movies we brought Hollywood to the end of the road. After showing a slide show of photos of the clinic and villagers as well as memories of Miramichi, Pat McMahon and Matt LeBreton started what will inevitably become the Haiti Village Health Movie Night. With over half the village in attendance we all sat a laughed with them at the characters we all know. They did not understand a word being spoken, but still laughed in all the right spots — actions do speak louder than words.
This trip saw the formal integration of two previous successful experiments into
the clinic schedule, the Kids Blitz and Village Outreach. Each day saw a team, including a translator, doctor and nurse dispatched to an outlying village where they would assist the elderly or the infirm not able to make the journey to the clinic.
They would also provide a regimen of Maternal Vitamins to all women between the ages of 15 and 40 and Albendazole (anti-parasitic medication) to every member of every family. As always, these trips are welcomed by both the villagers and the team as a means of contact and understanding that cannot be gained in the clinic environment. Team members had the privilege of sharing fresh-picked mangos and coconuts with their patients, and in the case of Dr. Magda Listwan of St. John's a wash as two local women helped rinse her down after a slip into a muddy swamp.
On these same mornings, a particular village that had been pre-notified was invited to bring all of their children up to age 12 for a checkup regardless of whether they were sick or not. This program offers the opportunity to complete a pediatric health assessment and assist with early identification of disease outbreaks in the villages, as well as to identify severely malnourished candidates for the Medica Mamba Program.
As everyone has heard in the news of late, there is a food crisis developing around the world and it is not primarily one of availability but rather of price. It has hit nowhere harder than Haiti, where the price of the basic staple, rice, has skyrocketed in the last 12 months. Due to poor soil conditions and a variety of other challenges, this rice must be imported, leaving ordinary Haitians at the mercy of the world market. It is safe to say that the fisherman and farmers of Bod Me Limbe are faring better than those living in the crowded cities of Cap Haitien and Port au Prince, but we have recorded a definite increase in the incidence of severe childhood malnutrition. During these blitzes, local nurse Nancy McMahon would identify needy candidates and direct them to Ontario doctor Yoella Teplitsky. Dr. Teplitsky, a recent graduate of Memorial University in Newfoundland, would then begin the induction and education process for the Mamba Program. This program run by Meds and Food For Kids in Haiti manufactures a high energy blend of locally produced peanut butter called Mamba and essential vitamins and minerals. This mixture is then provided to the malnourished child in controlled and medically monitored doses along with their regular diet. It has shown great success in the country and produces significant results in under 30 days. On this trip 15 children were inducted and are under the care of our newly hired Haitian nurse and doctor.
A key component to our founding mandate has always been Haitian self-sufficiency. We are there to help individual Haitians, but only those Haitians can make a better and stronger Haiti, which is why were are so pleased to report the hiring of these capable ladies. They will work out of our clinic in the employ of Haiti Village Health and treat the day-to-day aches, pains and ailments, deal with emergencies and wound care, as well as to monitor the Mamba Program. In addition they will generate a list of patients who in their assessment can benefit from seeing a Canadian physician during the next visit. This will be extremely valuable in assisting us to prioritize our patients on subsequent visits. We can be assured that they know their stuff as both worked extensively with Dr. Carl during through the entire trip.
Once again the educational component of our village visits was highlighted through the work of first-timers from Miramichi Amy Buckley and James Hudson.
James completed the very popular and humourous Oral Hygiene series, with all of the elementary school kids from the Hearts Together School. The large Teeth, education books and toothbrushes donated by our local dentists were a great hit. In the category of "someone has to do it and it is going to be you,"
Amy was tasked with the girls' health and sex education sessions, which inevitably generate the same degree of snickering in Haiti as at home, giving Amy a new appreciation for all those Health Education Teachers out there.
For those of you who are familiar with Etienne Bruni and the orphanage started by his brother, Father Bruni, who lived for a time in Miramichi, I am pleased to report that all is well. I personally visited the orphanage and spent a couple of days with Etienne and the children in September. They are healthy and happy and thanks to donations from the people of Miramichi, the 55 children in his care and the 150 participating in the day school program now have sufficient food and chairs to sit on for meals and schooling.
Etienne has asked me to convey his thanks and prayers to all.
Also in the big news department is the new affiliation of HVH with ORA International. ORA, which has recently established a presence in Miramichi through Ms. Sarah MacArthur, will now take care of all of the financial and accounting functions of HVH while HVH will assist ORA with the expansion of its medical functions in Haiti. We are extremely pleased to now be a part of ORA and look forward to working together to continue our work in Haiti.
We would like to thank all who supported our efforts with the HVH Fashion Show held back in September and announce that once again this year we will be organizing the annual HVH Christmas Give A Gift Campaign. This year we will be conducting the campaign in cooperation with ORA, which will expand the options through which you can help the strong people of this troubled nation.
Once again, all this is only possible through the generous support of our local Miramichi Community. For more information on the Christmas Campaign or HVH, please feel free to contact me at (506) 474-2429 or visit our website.
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