Operation Smile/Haiti Update

Posted on | January 28, 2010 | Comments Off on Operation Smile/Haiti Update

Mark Beers, Senior Program Coordinator
Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010

It has been a busy day getting set up and integrated into the work being done here. Today we set up two general anesthesia tables in a former classroom. In addition, our team spent the day not only evaluating the patients in the clinic (field of tents and tarps), but also vaccinating all the patients in the camp for tetanus with the supplies we brought down. Our surgeons and anesthesiologists performed several sedation procedures in the existing facilities, and the general anesthesia procedures will begin tomorrow. Our whole team has been integrated into the schedule for providing ongoing care to the patients recovering from serious injuries and recent surgeries. Lucas will follow up in a little bit with some more specific numbers. The living and working conditions are very difficult but our team is being courageous. Tents, limited water and electricity, extreme heat and not the greatest food all adds stress to what is already difficult work. But we are finding solutions to things little by little and I think we will fall into a rhythm. More updates will come soon. We are doing a good thing here. I know everyone is confident about that.