| "The Lord bless you. The Lord keep you." |
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.jpg) April 17, 2010: On Easter Sunday, Hope Force sent three chaplains to Haiti to serve at one of the country’s busiest medical clinics – the University of Miami Hospital in Port-au-Prince. One week after the devastating January 12 earthquake, UM established an invaluable urgent care center where thousands of patients have found refuge, help and life-saving care. Located directly adjacent to the capital city’s airport, the field hospital serves as a beacon of hope for the Haitian people.
Prior to the earthquake, Haiti was the poorest nation in this hemisphere with an average of 2.5 doctors per 10,000 people. Compare this to the U.S. where we have an average of 31.6 doctors per 10,000 and it starts to paint a picture of the near-total lack of access to medical care available in the nation. Aggravating the situation further, the earthquake destroyed more than 50 hospitals and clinics. The University of Miami “tent city” is a world-class facility that has treated 20,000 patients since January’s disaster.
Chuck Duby, a veteran Hope Force staff member, describes the clinic setting: “The hospital is right at the airport. The airplanes come in and out all day long. Everyt hing is under tents – O.R., pharmacy, ICU, ward and staff accommodation. Between the adult ward and the pediatric ward the hospital can accommodate 230 patients. Aid workers sleep on cots underneath mosquito nets. There are dozens of other tents for logistics, prosthetics as well as private accommodation for some of the longer-term doctors. The entire setup is very much like a M.A.S.H. unit. In fact, it probably has one of the only teleconferencing facilities in the country. It was wonderful to see parents come in whose children had been flown to the US for treatment and the joyful reunions they had through the communication facility. There was a lot of whooping and hollering – some of them had not seen their children since the earthquake.”
Ten- to twelve-hour days were not unusual for Chuck and the two other Hope Force chaplains. “There was a very positive esprit d’corps,” he describes. “Naturally, the catalyst for our involvement was to meet the needs of the Haitian people in the unit but we very soon found that the staff and volunteers needed just as much encouragement. I have participated in numerous outreaches but this one was very different – the intensity of living and working in the same high-energy atmosphere provided for unique challenges. Most of us were right on the hospital grounds all the time. The long-term people would have hotels in town to help provide a break from the action, which was well-deserved.”
The Hope Force chaplains went to serve in any way possible to bring encouragement and the “ministry of presence” to those who were battling severe medical conditions. Initially the hospital was established to treat the critically-wounded following January’s earthquake but it has now become quite possibly the best hospital on the island. Many of Haiti’s 4,000 amputees have been treated here. Numerous patients returned to the hospital for secondary surgeries or rehab. Others h.jpg) ad not found the means to have broken bones set in the chaotic aftermath of the temblor, and were in need of medical interventions to break and re-set damaged bones or treat spinal cord injuries.
“One lady that I grew attached to was on my roster of rehab patients. She needed to walk two to three times a day to strengthen her muscles so I would accompany her each time. The hospital had two physical therapists but they really could have used six. I could see her finally begin to feel better and her walking improve. One thing that stood out was how beloved she was by her family. Every time she walked, she borrowed her granddaughter’s flip flops. She had literally lost everything in the earthquake. We eventually got some flip flops for her – she was very grateful. On the day of discharge, I felt led to pray the Deuteronomy 6 prayer over her. It begins with “The Lord Bless you, the Lord Keep you...” She was moved deeply and so was I. We both shed some tears as we said good-bye.”
In one area of the hospital, individuals recovering from surgery or injury were monitored with a focus on wound care. The bed sores, abscesses, and “hot spots” heightened the risk of infection, so tubes would be attached to the appropriate area of the wound, with a suction device ensuring all unnecessary fluids were flushed out of the body. “There were a number of these machines and altogether, about 20 rechargeable batteries to keep the machinery running.” Chuck recalls. “At one point the staff realized the recharging system was not working and the devices would shut down shortly if we did not fix the problem. I was sent to find an electrician, which I knew right away would be difficult in our setting. It was miraculous – the very first perso n I found in the logistics tent had an electrical background! Donna had the machinery up and running properly in about five minutes. Everyone was totally blessed. She was thrilled and so was I.
Overall it was an amazing experience. We did lose several patients while there, which is always painful for everyone involved. The medical staff gives everything they have to save a life and when it is not successful, it can create an atmosphere of discouragement. Of course for the families, it is even more difficult, so we were there to walk alongside them during their grief and loss. We were, in a sense, in the position to administer “psychological first aid.” A woman who had brought someone in with terminal cancer began talking about the trauma she still experienced even months after the earthquake. She could not get the sense of buildings crushing and children screaming out of her mind. We were able to identify people like her, provide initial encouragement and comfort while referring them to the mental health professionals on staff.”
Hope Force is currently considering additional teams to go to the University of Miami hospital to fill the role of Chaplain in service to the Haitian people and the aid workers laboring tirelessly to bring relief and comfort to the suffering.
Click here to watch the CBS News special coverage of the University of Miami hospital.
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