First full day in Medical Clinic at MOH

Bonjour, our first full day we were working in the medical clinic and Shane was busy fixing a generator and the Haiti 1 ambulance. We triaged and treated about 80 patients today. The set up and Haitian doctors and staff are great. The interpretors we worked with are all very good and we had fun bantering back and forth with them.

John set up and in triage and did initial vitals on most of the patients. Fiona and Jim triaged the patients and then sent them into the clinic area and E/R. Kim worked in the clinic massaging patients and doing some physio. She ahd opportunity to pray with patients as well.

Shane has been having a ball working on the motorized toys down here already. Last night John and Shane rebuilt a fan and today Shane fixed a large generator and in doing service work on the ambulance.
Were about to have dinner. more to come. Jim

Safely in Haiti at Mission of Hope

Hi everyone, after a long day flying from Toronto to Montreal and then direct to Haiti we have arrived. Grant and Sandy picked us up at the Airport and it was a bit of a zoo. We had help bringing the bags to the van and then we were off through Port au Prince to get to the mission site. MOH is approximately 25 km from the city. As we drove through you could see some of the damage that was done. We went around the city and Grant said that most of the devastation was in the city centre. I am sure we will see more of this as the week goes on. The roads are terrible and so it is a slow ride out of the city. It is a very busy and populated city with over 80% unemployment before the earthquake. There are no building standards and so many places collapsed due to poor quality construction and poor cement.

A large team of 57 will be leaving tomorrow and that will leave just a small team of us to work at the clinic. It should be a very busy week seeing about 100 patients per day and the odd emergency from the community at night. More about this tomorrow.

It is very hot here and we will need to adjust. It was approximately 30 celcius today. Many people doing incredible work. We stopped in at the University of Miami Hospital today near Port au Prince. Very well laid out and they have probably 150 patients.

Jim

Hi everyone, the flight and the entire trip to the mission house could not have gone smoother!!!!
All the stories that we have heard are not what I experienced so far. The people are lovely and it reminds me much like the other trips we have been on. Although we are just beginning to hear the stories of the devastation of people who have lost many family members or all their family. When we toured the hospital today we saw some serious burns and wounds - some very sick and injured people. My heart went out to them. We are doing well. It is great to be with Grant and Sandy. We will add photos of what we saw today on tomorrows blog. We love you all and thank you for your prayers. Sweet dreams R&A.......love Kim

Getting ready to go to Mission of Hope in Haiti

Welcome to our Blog. This will hopefully give you the reader an opportunity to follow us as we try to provide assistance to the Haitian people. We will try to Blog every other day and provide photos and our experience as it unfolds. I hope you find it insightful.

Kim and I have been interested in going to Haiti every since friends, Grant and Sandy Rumford and their four kids, decided to go to Haiti as long term missionaries. Grant works with Jim as a Halton Advanced Care Paramedic and took a leave of absence last September and now Grant, Sandy and their kids have lived through the earthquake. Grant has been managing the medical clinic on the Haiti Mission of Hope site. Many medical teams have been down already. In the wake of the Earthquake their has been incredible need from the Haitian people for an international response, rescue and ongoing medical care.

Kim and I are busy packing. We are part of a large 15 person medical team that is going down to assist in the clinic, on the ambulance, in the orpahnage and school that are all on the MOH site. Many people have donated items that we will be taking down with us. Each person on the team has been gathering items of medical need to take down. We will each be taking down two hockey bags full of supplies. Our personal items will all fit in one carry on and a back pack.

Well time to get back to packing and some time with Robert and Alanna.