Hot Wednesday night in Petionville

Just got back from the restaruant/ bar in Petionville. It was a crazy ride straight up the mountainside, but had a beautiful ending point. This place had live Jazz music. The singer was fantastic. We all enjoyed drinks and snacks. Almost forgot where we were for awhile. We were a lively group of 15. Time to crash and get ready for another day.- Kerry

Day 3- Covering buns in Haiti...

We covered some buns in Haiti today! We were a mobile underwear unit. The kids and mothers had a big smile when we gave them new undies. Thank you to all of our donors in the states!  We hosted another clinic today in the same tent city we visited yesterday. As we arrived, 30 people were already waiting to be seen. We estimate seeing about 220 people in 5 hours. Organization gets better everyday. We will be pros by the end of the week! Many of us have learned to speak and write some Creole words. One thing that has made me happy is to see that no one is starving. Many people are thin, but we have yet to see anyone wasting away. My most memorable patient was two, with an incredible bilateral eye infection. Had not opened his eyes in a week. When I pried his eyes open puss balls poured out! Needless to say he received many forms of antibiotics!  We ended the afternoon with some retail therapy shopping at Rebuild Globally for flip flops made out of car tires. Everything this group uses is re-purposed. If you are ever looking for a really great gift that supports and amazing group, go to; http://www.rebuildglobally.org/ Our group is going to a restaurant/ bar later tonight for some fun. We are lucky to have this time to decompress and be ready to treat the next tent city tomorrow. - Kerry.******************************* Kerry pretty much covered things, so I will only add a little bit.  Today was really rewarding for me as I was able to see immediate results from the therapies we provided.  I left with a sense of accomplishment.  The tire flip flop factory was wonderful; I am hoping we go back so I can spend some money!  Looking forward to a Prestige tonight... -Elise*************************** Today I was able to try my hand as a pharmacist! We treated a lot of the same complaints as yesterday; vaginal infections, worms in children, headaches and body-aches. However, we did have a few "interesting" treatments we tackled. Today's #1 was the removal of two extra digits (polydactyly). They did not have any bone structure, just skin and vessels. We snipped one from each hand of the 1.5 month old, who tolerated it without crying while drinking formula. The baby's mom passed away after the child's birth. Grandma was very pleased with our surgeons! Although we couldn't cure all, we were able to send everyone home with something tangible and hopefully some heartfelt compassion! It is amazing to feel what silence provokes because of the language barrier here. When I take 3 seconds to say "good luck," or "good bye" after handing them medication, there is a mutual understanding and connectedness that is felt, and it is awesome!  ~Kayla************************************** Today I examined people with Cindy, one of our nurse practitioners. Because I hope to sooner than later attend graduate school to be an N.P., it was a great shadow experience. I was reminded of how much I already know, and also connected a few more dots in terms of what questions to ask and how different diagnosis can initially present with similar symptoms.  I'm more comfortable now with our mission than I was the first day or two. As said above, we have our routine and organization down a little better. The group we have here is getting along so well. I believe this really contributes to our effort and outcome at our clinics.- Jenna______________________________________________ I have to "Thank" Evie for making us laugh twice in twelve hours, first the animated dance to I'm SEXY and I know it! This performance took place last night, as few of us sat in gazebo decompressing from the day. At that point, Evie shared her dance story and we insisted that she show us the dance. The second story was about the placenta and the microwave, due to hippa laws, if you want to know the story you must ask her. - Thanks Evie!! We can always use a good laugh. - Fatima______________________________ More Evie stories! At the end of the day a very very pregnant pushy lady snuck into clinic and wanted to know if she was pregnant. Due to language barrier, Evie thought she could use some lady soap as parting gift. Moments later, the lady returned the soap in a cup for of urine. This is when Evie thought an interpreter would be helpful. After clarification, the interpreter explain that the pregnant thought Evie was giving her a pregnancy test! Good times, still laughing!  Cindy From USA________________________________________________ Well today was great, our team is getting the hang of this and we saw over 200 people. The crowd got crazy a few times but our amazing interpreters kept everyone calm. We were more prepared and truly helped many sick people. Did a lot of safe sex education and was swarmed by kids when I pulled out the bubbles I wont do that again! haha but they all got crayons and pencils. Much love for Haiti and all the people I have met!! Canadian Cindy Sent from my iPad

Day 2- Tent City clinic day

Today we went to a tent camp in Port-au-Prince, approximately 35,000 people. Today we saw approximately 200 men, women, and children in 5 hours. I was assigned to pharmacy today. After patients were screened at triage, they were either sent to be examined and/or to receive medications. Medications were given for symptom relief of chronic illnesses and also for acute conditions requiring antibiotics. There were many babies brought in, some of whom received de-worming medications. We will be returning to the same tent camp tomorrow. - Jenna_____________________________________________ Until today, our group of nurses hadn't seen much extreme poverty here. As Jenna stated, we visited a tent camp in downtown Port-Au-Prince. I had no idea what to expect prior to our departure as "tent camp" seems quite vague. The living conditions in this community are devastating; their homes are made of scrap metal and look as though they could fall over at any moment. I worked in the pharmacy area with Jenna and our day seemed quite chaotic! We had to reconstitute antibiotics for patients--something I clearly take for granted in my every day job at Children's. The line of people seemed endless, and navigating all of the medications on their list was overwhelming, to say the least. While we had what seemed like a large supply of medications and syringes, our supplies didn't last. It was a difficult day for me, mostly because it's easy to get pessimistic about what little we are able to do with our limited supplies and resources. I need to keep reminding myself that, if nothing else, we gave these patients the opportunity to share their problems with us, we listened intently, and most importantly, we did our best. - Elise_______________________ I was given the job of triage, I worked at the front of the line while each patient told me and my interpreter what there symptoms and problems were. I then wrote it down and passed them off into the next room where medications were handed out or where they were assessed further. The amount of people coming up to us seemed endless and they spent hours waiting to be seen. Many young moms with vaginal infections, babies with worms, infected wounds, headaches and body pain. They hungry, dehydrated but still smiled.We did our best to provide medications and treat what we could but you almost feel defeated because most of the problems treated are only a temporary fix. The poverty and the camps here are unbelievable. The populations of people that still remain in these tent camps is endless. It is truly frustrating, you want to do so much but are so limited in your resources. It did feel good to know that we provided a small amount of relief for many people and that they were happy to see us. The children loved to get there picture taken and to them, this was the only way of life they know. I am angry that the corruption in here has kept the people of Haiti prisoners of poverty. -Cindy_______________________________________ This was first experience with such poverty.....this was a roller-coaster of emotions for me. The people were so gracious they appreciated the smallest kindness....I have to remember small successes and not be discouraged if we cant completely fix a problem. Cindy (USA)_________________________________________________ The poverty is devastating to see. It is amazing to think all that is taken for granted every single day when one has their most simplistic needs met. The people we have seen both yesterday and today have been very gracious for our help. They know the true meaning of humility and are thus able to express gratitude. I have came here to help and teach, however, I believe I will surely leave with a much greater lesson. ~Kayla_________________________________________________ We saw 200 hundred patients today, as I attempted to assess and treat these individuals, I could not help but feel slightly defeated at times. There is so much the Haitians need and so little we can give them. I have keep reminding myself, every little bit DOES help. - Fatima ____________________________________________ I am privileged to be a part of this team. They are organized and motivated. I felt that today was a good day. I enjoyed being in a role i never had an opportunity to be in. (Which is triage) This team has made me feel part of the group and we have shared many sadness together and laughter and i have only known them a short time. we will also remember our bird moth experience. Can't wait for what tomorrow holds. -Evie____________________________________________ Well, I think I am the last to comment on our day. Canadian Cindy and Evie have both be a great addition to our group. To talk about a tent city and then to walk in a tent city are two very different things. It is amazing to see how people have survived in these conditions and even more amazing that they are not sicker! Johanna and I also did exams. We saw lots of rashes, kids with worms, vaginal infections, eye infections, coughs, colds, just to mention a few. 200 plus patients in 5 hours is not too bad! We are running out of meds. It will be hard to get through the week. We need overnight FedX! Everyone is super tired tonight. We are currently hanging outside listening to LMFAO. Evie is entertaining us with a great dance! This is a wonderful group of hard working people. I know we will make a difference in some peoples lives this week. - Kerry.

Monday, Day 1

Hello from Haiti! We had a very productive morning at an orphanage. This was one of the orphanages I got to visit last year. It was so fun to see some of the same kids again! We started with well child checks and then saw members of the local community. Overall the kids were happy and looked good. Many of the children had scabies. This is easy to treat, but of course we did not have the medication they needed. We hope the caretaker might be able to get the cream from the pharmacy. Once clinic time was over "party time" began. We brought out our suitcases filled with toys, stickers, balls... It was so fun to watch them play and hear the laughing. This was a good day! I miss my little ladies! Cheers, Kerry._______________________________________ Hello, it's Johanna. Kerry did a great job summarizing the day. We set up two triage areas outside the building to see patients and get their complaints. If we could we give them the medications they needed then we would give it to them outside. Some patients we sent into be examined by the two nurse practitioners, we also had a "pharmacy" set up in the building as well. We saw about 30 kids from the orphanage. We saw about 60 adults. We are fortunate to be working with 5 GREAT interpreters, it is so nice to to have them. Two of the interpreters worked with us last year, it was nice to see them again. Tonight we are going to organize the medications for clinic tomorrow. Tomorrow and Wednesday we are heading to a tent city in Port-au-Prince to set up a clinic and see any of the 35,000 people that live there. Thanks for checking in today!_______________________________________________ Hi All - It's Sarah. Happy and well in Haiti! My experience was as one of the providers that gave well child examinations and treated the complaints and symptoms of community members. While anxious initially about how I would be able to draw from my skill set I was happy how quickly I fell into the routine and found similarities between patients issues. Obviously our treatments were rudimentary but I was also happy about how something little could be so helpful! Things I learned to diagnose and treat today: tinnea, scabies, UTIs, chemical burns to the eyes, & ringworm. I also recognized an arrhythmia in one of the boys and the s/sx of diabetes with a BS of 43 in another. While we were able to make referrals and provide prescriptions (a mere name, date, drug name, and signature on a blank piece of paper), I felt limited in my ability to serve and help even though I recognized the need. A couple of children complained of stomach aches that with further questioning we could only conclude was from hunger. Everyone was given multivitamin and of course a smile and some love. I was happy when we were able to given the children the treats we brought. I was wondering what they would enjoy the most and it made my heart skip a beat when the boys made a song out of the kazoos! The little girls let me help them play with the poppers. I will take these experiences with me and look forward to tomorrow.

We arrived.

Hello everyone. We arrived in Haiti on time and were pleasantly surprised by the updated airport. It was nice arriving on Sunday the traffic was great. We got a little orientation to the house and had a nice supper. We organized our large assortment of donations and now are relaxing. Tomorrow we are heading to an orphanage to do well child checks and then doing a clinic for the community around the orphanage. Stay tuned for our eventful week. Thanks for following our journey!

To Haiti we go...part 2!

Our group departs Minneapolis this Sunday, January 13th. We will be providing medical care in the Port-au-Prince area until January 21st. Our Minnesota group consists of 8 nurses and we will be joined by two other nurses from the Seattle and Canada. A hard working group of 10, just imagine what we can do! Stand by for our first night post on 1/13/2013.... Kerry

We are going back!!!