This is Tia, the medical staff spent the day at an IDP clinic on the side of a mountain called Onaville in Haiti today. Our staff includes Bryan and Dave, the doctors and Annie and I are RN's.
As far as you can see in most directions were shacks and tents. Interpreters told us that non of this was here before the earthquake. After the quake, people fled Port au Prince and red cross etc. set up these areas for people.
This is who we were greeted by when we pulled up to the IDP clinic this morning. They helped us unload the truck and just hung around with us until all the patients came. They were so smiley and sang songs for us.The picture below is of Dave showing the kids a video on his iphone that he made of them singing a song. They love seeing themselves on the screen.
Quickly the tent filled with patients. We ended up seeing 178 patients, with 3 doctors, 1 nurse practitioner and 7 nurses. 1 nurse manned the pharmacy with one other worker.
We were in small groups with an interpreter. Those waiting in line were very quiet and cooperative, waiting for up to 2 hours. Fortunately the weather has been wonderful. A constant breeze and cooler temps (80s) than normal. One of our workers wore a coat the whole time, while another had a stocking cap on. They liked hearing about the snow we get in Indiana in the winter.
Sweet chubby cheek boy. He only smiled once he saw his "photo" on the phone. He is 2 1/2 and was brought in by a friend who is 10. His father was working.
The team I was with consisted of Amy, a pediatric NP, an interpreter and me learning how to do this on my own come Monday! I introduced myself as "just a nurse" when I got there and one of the docs already here said "thats a doctor in Haiti". I thought he was exagerating, but quickly found out he wasn't.
The docs went on a house call at one of the relief home sites. These were rows and rows of small houses built with donations from the US and France after the earthquake. We saw several groups of these in a couple different locations. They are sponsored by different agencies like WorldVision, IOP, and others in French that I can't read :). They are 2 room small homes the size of storage sheds in the US. There are community bathrooms at one end, with an area to get water from a fillable storage bladder. These are filled periodically, but not dependably.
This was my last patient, gotta love the cubs shirt. (it had Prior on the back). He ended up getting 4 shots in the rear and had his eye irrigated repeatedly with saline. He never flinched. (The person beside him is his mother! ) His eye was probably saved today. A minor injury in the States, can turn horribly bad here.
All in all today was such a privilege. A privelege to serve amongst "the least of these". I am so thankful to be here.
Thanks for praying for us, God has provided in so many ways already.
