-Corporate Support
-Field Hospital Transition
The events of the past 5 weeks has been a marriage between long standing programs providing various types of help/aid to Haiti (Leogane in particular), various NGOs, government and corporate. Some of these organizations include:
The University of Notre Dame’s Haiti Program (http://haiti.nd.edu/) has been working for almost 20 years to help eradicate lymphatic filariasis which afflicts over 20 % of the Haitian population. The ND residence (know as Residence Filarose) has served as the command center for the various groups working to provide aid. In the past few years ND alumni doctors have been making routine surgical missions to treat the secondary effects of LF – hydroceles in men (over 200,000).
World Wide Village ( http://www.worldwidevillage.org/) has been focused on Haiti prior to the quake with nutrition and micro enterprise programs. Two of their doctors – Chris Buresh and Josh White started a Community Health Initative in Leogane years ago. These teams of doctors have/are providing medical care on a regular basis.
Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti ( http://cnphaiti.org/index.html) has been working in Haiti, specifically Leogane, since 1998. Their programs address infant and child nutrition.
There are many more groups (Save the Children, etc) which are involved and will be discussed at a later time. The purpose of this update is to thank the various corporate donors who have contributed in so many ways. The recent downturn in US economy has caused most to view the corporate world in a very negative way. Their are many exceptions. Some corporations/benefactors just do the right thing. Their are many examples that all the above organizations can share. I would like to spotlight a Rochester based corporation – Constellation Brands. They provided a total of 4 corporate jets (Falcon 900 – think big plane) over a 1 week period to transport docs, nurses and 8,000 lbs of needed medical/surgical supplies. This was within the first 2 weeks after the quake when it was hard to get anything into PAP let alone Leogane. That was coupled with the air bridge from Santiago, DR coordinated by CNP. Recently a volunteer from the InterVol/ND Team 1 wrote a thank you to Constellation that says it all. I would like to share portions of that letter with you.
February 18, 2010
The Constellation Family
207 High Point Dr., Bldg. 100
Victor, New York 14564
Dear Constellation Family,
Sleep, even three weeks later, does not come peacefully. The screams from amputations being performed without anesthesia as we first arrived in Leogane, Haiti. The premature child dying in my arms, sitting in the back of a U.S. Marine humvee awaiting an evac helicopter, mother at my side as I pumped on her premature infant’s chest. Watching a man swinging a sledgehammer, on top of a four-foot pile of rubble that was once his two-story home, knowing that a loved one was entombed just below. The suffering and tears were immense. The memories are still vivid and raw.
Then, I rise up, open my computer, and look upon other photos – this time brining a smile and the deepest personal and professional satisfaction of my life.
These pictures, and hundreds of others, would not have been possible if not for the Constellation family – employees, management, and pilots. Too often the credit for medical success goes to a select few. However, the story of our successes in Haiti is akin to a beautifully tuned engine – it takes all eight cylinders working together in harmony to cruise down the road. So be careful of taking a picture of just one cylinder – the other seven are also humming along as a team. Many of those cylinders were the Constellation family.
Each time we tore open a box in haste, trying to meet yet another crisis situation, the vision of the Constellation staff who met to pack the boxes, label the contents, and load the medical equipment came to mind. All of you gave of your time, energy, and love to enable the mission, and without your efforts we could not have succeeded. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts as our work would have been impossible without you. Your care and concern rose from the supplies and filled our work.
To the pilots of Constellation – Paul, Richard, Rick, Dave J., Chris, Dave T., – you were simply amazing. First and foremost, you got our teams there safely and professionally. But upon arrival you were then out on the ramp in the sultry heat helping us move boxes, handing out water, ushering us through customs, and in the final scene for me sitting at the side of an elderly Haitian woman, terrified at now being in this strange land of America, comforting her and promising to stay with her no matter how long it took for her new family to arrive at the airport.
Ginny Clark, with her amazing blend of professionalism, compassion, and laughter will forever be a friend of mine and of the Haitian people. Greeting us with a cheery smile on the freezing Rochester runway, allowing us to feel that Constellation supported our every effort, sharing tears as we drove amongst the ravaged homes and thousands of homeless living in bed sheet tents as we approached our soon to be hospital (a partially destroyed nursing school dormitory building) or holding a Haitian infant on his way to a new home safely aboard the returning jet. Ginny was simply a magnificent representative of Constellation, and continues to this day to support the overwhelming need for continued relief efforts in Haiti.
Finally, to Mr. Rob Sands, Mr. Richard Sands, and the entire Constellation Management Team, I stand in awe. In these difficult economic times challenging corporate profits and P/E fixated stockholders, you simply chose to do the right thing. The gift of your jets was magnanimous beyond belief, critical to our mission, and I am sure representative of the human compassion by which you manage Constellation. The earthquake happened over five weeks ago, but to this day teams still cannot get into Haiti smoothly. Your decision to allow Constellation support to this effort came with swiftness critical to saving lives, unconcerned with the cost, and that is in the end what literally saved the lives and limbs of so many.
Tonight, when you slip into bed, try and remember the faces on the two photos I have shared. There are many, many more like those children. Photos showing children, and their parents, who will awaken along with you to a brighter day – a day made possible by your sacrifices. To share a simple Creole word expressing gratitude on behalf of the entire medical team, and all those in Haiti we were able to touch, let me simply say “mesi” – thank you. It is a simple word, but one deeply felt by all of us on Teams Leogane I and II. You allowed all of us, working together, to enable the Haitian people to begin living out another Creole phrase, “pazapa” – step by step.
Warmly,
Daniel J. Towle, M.D.
Team Leogane I, VII
The transition into the field hospital – Hospital Sainte Croix – continues. It is no different than setting up a new hospital from scratch. The biggest issue is getting inventory control. We are now database what we have and what we need. It may sound simple, but with new teams coming in and out every 7-9 days – it remains difficult. Most docs, especially surgeons – aren’t into inventory or inventory control. They are now learning how importance many of the “back room” functions that we take for granted back home.
As always – more to come
Ralph
Team Leogane 1,2,6,7
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