Haiti Clinic

January 2013 Clinic Report

David — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 02:55:53 +0000

Haiti Clinic volunteers returned to the Boston section of Cite Soleil to hold a weekend clinic January 18-20, 2013. Nearly 20 volunteers made the trip including 8 physicians, a dentist, several nurses and many nonclinical volunteers. Medical specialties represented were Emergency Medicine, Gastroenterology, Cardiology, Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases/Tropical Medicine and OB/GYN. Approximately 1,200 patients were seen during the three days with problems ranging from hypertension to dehydration to abscessed teeth. In addition, several hundred pairs of glasses were distributed to those in need. All in all, it was a very successful clinic.The day prior to the clinic several volunteers gathered to distribute hundreds of dresses and other clothes to children in the neighborhood. It was wonderful to see these young kids wearing their colorful new clothing over the next 3 days.
One of our January volunteers, Jessica Patti who is a nurse from Connecticut, is relocating to Haiti in February to become Haiti Clinic’s Operation’s Manager. Jessica has traveled to Haiti dozens of times to run clinics in various locations and settings. Her responsibilities will include administrative oversight for our clinic, clinic staff and volunteer trips. We are very excited to have Jessica on board and know that her experience, energy and commitment will allow us to better serve the Haitian communities where we work.
Also making the trip in January was our Executive Director Jennifer Tossie. Jennifer joined Haiti Clinic in October 2012. Jennifer has done a fantastic job in her short time with us. In addition to all of her many responsibilities, she has been able to raise over $100,000 in in-kind donations of medications since joining the team. With Jennifer and Jessica working for Haiti Clinic, 2013 is going to be a fantastic year for us and the people that we serve.

September Clinic Report

David — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 23:21:30 +0000

On Friday, September 9, 2012, a large team of volunteers from Haiti Clinic arrived in Wharf Jeremy, Port au Prince, to offer medical care to the community’s impoverished residents. During the next three days, the team provided medical services to nearly 1600 men, women, and children, including many patients who had never before seen a doctor.

The September team of volunteers included medical specialists in the area of emergency medicine, family medicine, dermatology, obstetrics/gynecology, gastrointestinal medicine and pediatrics. In addition to the medical specialists, the team included two premed students who provided support in the pharmacy and several nonmedical volunteers who provided critical logistical support.

The team was joined by competent, caring, and well organized Haitian ground support. Working in collaboration with these Haitian team members, (who provide everything from airport transportation to translation services), the clinic was able to successfully reach a record number of patients during the weekend including several critically ill infants and at-risk pregnant women. The outpouring of patients lined up hours before the clinic opened each day underscores the fact that Haiti Clinic provides the only medical care available to most of the population in Wharf Jeremy.

The volunteers included a physician from England who joined us for her third team trip. While many volunteers were veterans, Haiti Clinic was pleased to welcome several “first time” volunteers, who we hope to will join us in the future.

Patients ranging from newborns to the elderly were treated for free and given free medications to treat their health problems. In addition, more than 400 pairs of eye glasses were distributed to the visually impaired. Despite the great numbers of patients seen, the clinic was well organized and ran exceptionally smoothly thanks in large part to our Haitian team members.

We would like to especially thank the volunteers who made the September trip such a success: Larry Kaplan, MD, Kevin Browngoehl, MD, Shelly Chvotzkin, DO, Neil Heskel, MD, Ron Williams, MD, Leo Alonzo, MD, Trish Gretzenbach, ARNP, Reagan Alonzo, RN, Al Alonzo, Matt Williams, Kristie Preston, RN, Cathy Henderson Jones, Marcia Wilson, Jeneane Ryan, Kathryn Johnston and Dr. Alison Beadsworth (who came all the way from England).

Haiti Clinic is extremely grateful for the generosity of all donors and volunteers whose support is needed in order to render medical aid to the community we serve.

July 2012 Clinic Update

David — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 00:27:42 +0000

July 2012 Clinic Report by Larry Kaplan, MD

Greetings From Cite Soleil, Port au Prince, Haiti

Haiti Clinic just finished its most successful clinic ever. With sixteen Haiti Clinic volunteers and an additional four volunteers from Raising Haiti- a like-minded medical group based in Connecticut- we treated over 1400 Haitians in 2 ½ days!

The July team of volunteers was joined by two Vero Beach dentists, Drs. Kathy and Pete Guiterrez, and their daughter Zoey, who spent the entire time extracting abscessed and decayed teeth from patients ages 7-70. Without benefit of xrays or motorized dental equipment, they encountered some of the most challenging dental problems of their careers. Since most residents of Cite Soleil Have never seen a dentist, they are immeasurably grateful when offered relief from dental pain.

Our trip’s pediatric staff was anchored by Dr. Brenda Balch of Raising Haiti.org, Dr. John Carroll of HaitianHearts.org and Haiti Clinic Board member Kristy Preston, RN, all veterans of Haiti medical relief efforts. Working together, they addressed the community’s most pressing need by treating 350-400 malnourished, ill infants and children. Three of these infants required immediate hospitalization, but were refused admission by nearby hospitals because they lacked funds for treatment. Treated at Haiti Clinic with intramuscular antibiotics, Tylenol syrup for fever, and oral rehydration fluids, the infants returned for follow up the next day significantly improved. The resilience of the Haitian people is remarkable.

Working side-by-side with two young Haitian physicians, our adult medicine group staffed by Haiti Clinic co-founder Dr. Dirk Parvus and veteran volunteers Dr. Steve Griffith and Laura Sharp, RN saw the usual range of challenging, often life-threatening illnesses. GYN problems were treated by Robin Guiney, RN and Brooke Dreibelbis, RN.

Haiti Clinic was also pleased to provide ophthalmology care. While hindered by the lack of diagnostic equipment that is considered routine in the United States, Dr. Britt Parvus, an ophthalmologist from Philadelphia, did yeoman’s work in treating patients with eye diseases.

The successful treatment of patients requires a well-stocked and organized pharmacy. Pharmacist Jim Dale from Cocoa Beach, Florida accompanied the July team and provided the support needed to maximize the number of patients served.

Non-medical volunteers are essential to the success of our operations. From distributing generic eyeglasses to Haitians who cannot read or sew, to mixing hydration salts for dehydrated infants and instructing mothers on the administration of the fluid, these volunteers are invaluable to our work.

Each time in Cite Soleil reminds us of the pressing need to establish lines of referral to surgical specialists, a task easier said than done. Our July clinic identified 12-15 Haitian patients who needed surgical referrals for various problems such as cataract removal, repair of large inguinal and scrotal hernias, removal of breast lesions, and an obstructing rectal cancer. Through a cooperative network of providers in Haiti, our clinic is working toward obtaining care for patients needing more advanced treatment.

Recently, Haiti Clinic was defrauded of a large sum of money by a former Board member. Fortunately, we recovered nearly all the money within a short period of time following the theft. The organization has adopted additional safeguards to avoid a repeat of this problem.

There are few medical relief groups in Haiti that serve so many Haitians in so short a time on a relatively modest budget. All medical service and medications are given to Haitian patients at no cost. Haiti Clinic’s long-term goal is to staff a permanent full-time clinic with Haitian medical personnel, supplemented by American medical volunteers. Our volunteers pay their own travel expenses and Haiti Clinic’s administrative budget in the United States is less than $5000. Your continued support is very much appreciated.

July Clinic Volunteers

Haiti Clinic: Kristie Preston RN., Kathryn Johnston, Dirk Parvus MD., Matt Parvus, Britt Parvus DO., Jim Dale PharD., Alison Dale. Brooke Dreibelbis RN., Kathy Guterrez DDS., Pete Guiterrez DDS., Zoey Guiterrez, Steve Griffith MD., Laura Sharp RN., Kathy Jones, Larry Kaplan, MD.

Raising Haiti: Jessica Patti RN., Brenda Balch MD., Robin Guiney RN., Vanessa Alvalone.

HaitianHeart: John Carroll, MD.

Haiti Clinic’s Treatment Protcols

David — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 14:17:01 +0000

Haiti Clinic’s treatment protocols for delivery of care in Cité Soleil/Wharf Jérémie. Drug selection is partially determined by availability and cost of medications.

Revised June, 2012:

Haiti Clinic’s Treatment Protocol (.pdf)

May 2012 Clinic Update

David — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 17:03:43 +0000

May 2012 Clinic Report by Larry Kaplan, MD

Our return to We Advance in Wharf Jeremy for our second weekend clinic was even more gratifying. The word got out to the Haitian community that our group of medical volunteers was capable and willing to see more complicated medical conditions, and patients seemed to present with many more severe illnesses. In all, we saw 880 patients during this clinic.

Personally, having previously served with medical relief organizations in India, Cambodia and Honduras, I saw my first case of early-stage elephantiasis, a debilitating disease whose progression can be halted with a few dollars worth of medicine. A number of our volunteers had similar experiences and, as more and more tropical diseases are brought to our shores by foreign tourists and refugees, this knowledge may prove invaluable to our doctors and nurses practicing in the United States.

The unmet need for prenatal care was obvious from the dozens and dozens of women who lined up for hours to see our two gynecologists, Drs. Leigh Hoppe and Shelly Chvotzkin. Almost all these women have no access to care, which explains why Cite Soleil has one of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the world.

Consider the following personal observations from Melanie LaCugna, EMT, LPN, first- time volunteer with Haiti Clinic:

When I was 9 yrs. old, our school principal assigned each class to write an essay on what we were grateful for. The winner was to be announced the following week, at a school assembly. The winning essay would be honored with a special gift. I worked day and night choosing my words carefully. Coming from a family of little financial means, I was grateful for clean clothes, warm food, and my family among other things. Assembly day and the winner is … Melanie Thies. My principal presented me with the book The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein with a beautiful handwritten inscription from her. So the seed was planted. It was at that moment that I realized that if my words can be this powerful, what can I do as a single person to make a difference? Fast forward. Haiti Clinic May 11-13, 2012. My mission was to care for impoverished Haitian citizens to the best of my ability, to show compassion, dignity, and humility. That, with the fact that I was in the company of an amazing group of volunteers, medical, and non-medical alike, made for an incredibly wonderful experience. What I didn’t expect is how that experience would come to change my entire being. This is where I am at a loss for words……if you are reading this, and somewhere in your life, someone was so gracious to plant that seed for you. This is your opportunity. The Haitian community desperately needs our services. And I can assure you, they are the most beautiful, grateful, humble people that you will ever come to know. I hope you have been inspired. Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions regarding my experience. Thiesml@yahoo.com. Thank you Haiti clinic.

Fondly, Melanie

P.S. I still have The Giving Tree.

Other volunteers included Jeneane Ryan, Kristie Preston, RN, Alicia Center, Jim Dale, RPh, Dr. Laurie Welton, Dr.Louis Saddic, and Kathryn Johnston.

March 2012 Trip Update

David — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 20:31:52 +0000

March 2012 Clinic Report by Larry Kaplan, MD

Attracted by the opportunity to expand our medical services into a larger clinic footprint, Haiti Clinic accepted an invitation from We Advance to join them at their Wharf Jeremy (Cite Soleil) site. Founded in 2010, We Advance is an American rights- and community-based organization dedicated “to empower Haitian women’s minds, bodies and spirits and enable them to discover their own needs and priorities.” Last month Haiti Clinic accepted We Advance’s invitation to assume full responsibility for the medical delivery of care to the impoverished and underserved Wharf Jeremy Haitian community.

On March 25-26, eleven Haiti Clinic volunteers conducted our first weekend clinic at Wharf Jeremy. The transition to our new site went smoothly and 850 patients were examined and treated. Our arrival at 8AM the first daywas greeted by long lines of Haitians, some started queuing up at 5:30 AM. As usual, we saw a gamut of diseases ranging from life-threatening illnesses (infant dehydration, bacterial pneumonia, tuberculosis and dysentery) to chronic diseases (parasites, malaria, diabetes, hypertension and nutritional deficiencies) to uncomplicated/complicated pregnancies. For most of our Haitian patients who cannot afford access to medical care elsewhere, Haiti Clinic is the option of last resort.

Once again, our volunteers were amazed to see how a dollar’s worth of medicine can treat, or often cure, life-threatening or life-altering medical conditions. One of my most rewarding experience during these clinic sessions was to hand out generic drugstore eye glasses to 75 men and women who for years could not see close to read or sew, and witness the expressions of gratitude when they first viewed their newly discovered world. The wholesale price of the glasses is $1.00!!

We were joined this weekend by a Canadian dental team from Winnipeg led by Dr. R. Bruce McFarlane. Working side-by-side with two young Haitian dentists, over 70 patients were examined and 118 teeth extracted. For most of these Haitian patients, this was their first encounter with a dentist. Also, adding to the international flavor of our team, we had the pleasure of working with two British physicians, Drs. Colin Tourle and Alison Beadsworth, and benefited from their decades of experience as veteran medical relief workers on four continents.

Our first visit to Wharf Jeremy was a remarkable success and convinced us that our partnership with WeAdvance is a move in the right direction. We are already discussing adding a Haitian dentist, midwife and nutrition nurse to our Haitian medical staff.

Other volunteers included Dr. Shelly Chvotzkin, Dr. Laurie Welton, Kristie Preston, RN, Jintana Weerapan, MSN, Devon Kirkwood, Michelle McFarlane and Kathryn Johnston.

December 2011 Trip Report & Newsletter

kim@haiticlinic.org — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:43:20 +0000

Haiti Clinic December Newsletter

Dear Haiti Clinic Family

I just returned from leading a group of dedicated volunteer doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists and assistants at our clinic in Cite Soleil. In two days time we helped over 800 people with critical medical care. Our patients live with/have cancers, diabetes, tuberculosis, AIDS, malaria, and other severe infections. We address their dehydration and malnutrition, provide them with treatments again intestinal parasites, impetigo and fungal infections. Pictured here, A volunteer measures a child’s height.

Many of our patients are young children crippled by chronic diarrhea and infections. Many are a fraction of their expected weight and height. Baby boy Laurendy (pictured to the left) is a a severely ill new born baby we cared for on Saturday. His mother had no access to prenatal care and an equipped, clean birthing facility. His suffering bespeaks the need for our clinic. His plight inspires us. With your support, Haiti Clinic can continue to provide medical and nutritional care for our neediest patients.

Baby Boy Laurendy shown above.

2011

We staged 10 weekend clinics where 31 doctors, 11 nurses, 14 non clinical volunteers, 2 dentists, 2 pharmacists, 2 physician assistants, 1 paramedic, 3 premed students and 1 dental hygientist treated over 7500 people. Each paid his/her own expenses. We bought $28,925.55 worth of medications and supplies from our wholesale providers. A Haiti Clinic volunteer cares for a little girl (right picture). Retail price for this would have been over $400,000.

To provide ongoing care for our patients in between weekend clinics, we recruited and paid for a staff of 4 nurses, one pharmacy tech, a clinic manager and a physician. This staff treats approximately 60 patients a day.

We started a well baby and child clinic including preventive care, clean water supply and healthcare education. Clean water and knowledge of disease prevention will reduce many of the devastating illnesses we treated this weekend.

We inaugurated the “dome,” a prefab building, which doubled our clinical space. Haiti Clinic acquired adjacent land, where we plan to build a new clinic. We are training Haitian nurses, pharmacy techs and physicians.

2012

We have already started a malnutrition correction clinic, which will supply protein supplements to combat kwashiorkor, failure to thrive and starvation.

We will begin our women’s center, which will provide birth control, prenatal care and healthcare education to the women in Cite Soleil. We will also start a birthing unit for expectant mothers. We are helping to bring fresh, clean water to our neighborhood to prevent water-borne illness such as cholera.

We will break ground on our new clinic building. I am very excited and encouraged by our accomplishments and our future plans.

Your help made this possible. All of your contributions prevent devastating illness for children like Baby Boy Laurendy. I hope that you will increase your support, so that we can help the children of Cite Soleil to grow up healthy and strong.

Neil Heskel, MD

President

Haiti Clinic

the power of many

Please send your donation check to

Haiti Clinic

865 37th place

Vero Beach, Fl.

or contribute via Network for Good…..

Click here to make a donation. Your dollars are needed to supply necessary medications, medical equipment, clinic staffing and so much more. Even a little can do so much. Please consider making your donation recurring. In fact, if each one of you gave up one thing you do to treat yourself only once a month and sent that money to Haiti Clinic….

Save the Date for a Great Cause! Saturday, April 21st, 2012

kim@haiticlinic.org — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:25:37 +0000

September 2011 Trip Report

admin — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 23:23:53 +0000

I have just returned from a very successful clinic in Cite Soleil. 11 volunteers from Colorado, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Texas and Florida spent 3 days caring for over 650 patients. Some of these patients were very ill and all were extremely poor. We provided them with free medical care and medications. Our full-time, permanent Haitian physician, Dr. Garçon, will see many of them for follow-up care in the next few weeks.

We brought down twelve 50 pound suitcases filled with medications and supplies to restock the pharmacy. We used our new “Dome” (a prefabricated building) to register and take vital signs from patients waiting to see the doctor.
Temperatures were in the upper 90s and we all worked very hard. We stayed at a nearby orphanage. You can view photos from this trip here.

I have participated in 9 weekend clinics during the past several years; I thought this one worked particularly well. The functioning, skill level and morale of both the American volunteers and our Haitian counterparts were very good.

The week before, Kathryn Johnston, secretary of Haiti clinic, and Amy Clark spent a week cleaning and painting the entire building. They installed ceiling fans, shelving and 8 security door in the clinic with terrific results. There is now a security fence around the clinic, which confers an additional layer of protection from intruders and vandalism.

Meanwhile, we are acquiring land adjacent to the present clinic, where we plan to build a new facility. Your tax-deductible charitable donations make this all possible. In order to continue and expand our efforts, we need your continued support. Learn about the many ways you can donate at haiticlinic.org/donate.

Volunteer Dustinn Keeling Shares His Experience After the July Team trip

kim@haiticlinic.org — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 13:07:34 +0000

Fome the left, volunteers Dustinn, Kristen, & Matt

I had never been to Haiti before but have heard many reports from my friend Matt Parvus. When we touched down in Port-au-Prince I was speechless. We began making our way from the airport to the orphanage we were staying at and the whole time we saw poverty. People living in the streets, no homes, no clean water. This trip was extremely special to me because it was an experience I got to share with my sister Kristen. Our group was outstanding we had a team of brilliant doctors and an amazing support staff. This trip, from what I understand, was a bit different than others. Instead of staying at the hotel where the volunteers usually stay, Dr. Parvus arranged for us to stay at the New Life children’s orphanage which, in my opinion, was one of the most rewarding parts of the trip. Not only is it much more cost effective but we also were given the chance to spend time with a great group of kids. We spent 2 days at the clinic in Cité Soleil and WOW was it eye opening. I thought that working in an operating room at our local hospital would have prepared me pretty well but frankly noting could have prepared me for what we saw. In those two short days we saw over 700 patients. Cases ranging from scabies to HIV, we saw them all. Our teams doctors ranged in specialties…we had Emergency medicine, Gynecology, Opthamology, Infectious Disease and even Gastroenterology and we used them all! There were lines of people waiting to be seen by us and we did our best to see each and every one of them. Each day when we left the clinic, we were bombarded with people begging for food, money or anything they could get and honestly you want to help everyone but you can’t.

The trip was an amazing humbling experience and I recommend to any one who’s thinking about going to DO IT! You will never be the same again.