A Doctor’s Thank You

In the spirit of Thanksgiving in the United States, we want to share this touching thank you note we recently received from an Emergency Room doctor who brought a group of 15 from Minnesota to volunteer at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare in Haiti:

“Dear Project Medishare,

First and foremost, I want to say thank you to all of you for what you are doing in Haiti.  Running a hospital in the middle of Haiti is a near impossible task. That being said, you are all succeeding at the task amazingly well. Given the resources and surroundings, what you do is nothing short of miraculous. I know sometimes you lose sight of all the good that you are doing, but you should all be incredibly proud of what you have built and accomplished.

On a personal note, I want to thank you Toni, Rachel, and Kathleen for helping me through the week. For me, going to Haiti and working for a week is challenging enough. Bringing a group along was in many ways challenging also. Fortunately, with your help, the experience for the group was amazing. I feel like we helped the Haitian people, we helped our patients, and I personally succeeded in opening the eyes of 15 people to the grace and suffering of the Haitian people. Everyone from the crew I went with came back to Minnesota fundamentally changed. Perhaps this was the greatest gift for me on this trip and I could not have done that without your constant support and advice.

It has been an honor for me to have the opportunity to work with you. Working with you and getting to know each of you has been another gift from Haiti that I will always cherish. I realize that things will change, but one of my enduring memories of Haiti will be the times I spent with each of you.

I firmly believe that what Project Medishare is doing in Haiti is nothing short of miraculous. Going and working there has been life-changing for me.  Probably the most difficult, challenging, yet the most rewarding thing I have ever done.

Be strong.  Continue the good fight as long as you are able.  What you are doing is amazing…..

Thanks again for everything,
Sam

P.S.  I will return…”

Sam Abelson, MD at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare in Port-Au-Prince. November 2011

It is truly incredible to us at Project Medishare for Haiti that our grassroots operation has such a loyal and dedicated support base. It is because of your giving (of your time and of your monetary donations) that we are able to save lives in the beautiful country of Haiti.  On behalf of everyone at Project Medishare for Haiti, we thank each of YOU for allowing us to continue to carry out our mission.

THANK YOU & HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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Haitian Inspiration Tour

Team Zaryen, Haiti’s amputee soccer team which is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and Project Medishare, will be participating in the Haitian Inspiration Tour in the United States from October 16-October 22, 2011. The team will host soccer clinics for wounded U.S. soldiers, perform exhibits for Major League Soccer halftime shows and scrimmage against Connecticut high school students. A website featuring Team Zaryen’s Story, Tour schedule, Team information, Mission statement, News and Photos was just unveiled and you can check it out here!

The Team Zaryen Haitian Inspiration Tour schedule is as follows:

Monday, October 17, 2011:
Washington D.C
1-3pm: Amputee Soccer Clinic with service members (Walter Reed Army Medical Center)

Tuesday, October 18, 2011:
Washington D.C
10:30am-12 noon: Soccer Clinic at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium
12:15-1:30pm: Demonstration Game Team Zaryen vs. American Amputee Soccer Team

Wednesday, October 19, 2011:
Washington D.C
10:30am-12 noon: Soccer Clinic at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium
8pm: D.C. United vs. Portland Timbers (Team Zaryen performs at half-time show)

Thursday, October 20, 2011:
Stamford, Connecticut
10:30am: Team Zaryen is welcomed to Connecticut by Governor Dannel P. Malloy
2pm: Demonstration with students at Trinity High School in Stamford, Conn.
Harrison, New Jersey
8pm: New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union at the Red Bull Arena (Team Zaryen performs at half-time show)

Friday, October 21, 2011:
New York City Media events

We want to wish Wilfrid and Team Zaryen a successful tour next week. As always, please be sure to check our Facebook and Twitter feeds often to get up to date information on all things Project Medishare.

Thank you to Nike Soccer and Lynn Merritt for donating the awesome uniforms to Team Zaryen and to Perry Ellis for outfitting the members of  the team off the field!

This would not be possible without the help of the Knights of Columbus, thank you for your continued partnership with Project Medishare!

Team Zaryen

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EMPACT Northwest & Project Medishare EMT’s

EMPACT Northwest is a charitable organization comprised of medical professionals providing disaster relief, medical education and ongoing medical aid to communities in need. EMPACT NW partnered with Project Medishare for Haiti in the pursuit of providing emergency medical response and transportation for the sick and injured by identifying and educating Haitian EMT student candidates and educating the Haiti National Police and the general population in basic first aid.

EMPACT NW volunteers are specialized pre-hospital providers from the Pacific Northwest (PNW). EMPACT NW is also comprised of members who hold extensive backgrounds in firefighting, HAZ-MAT, chemical/biological weapons, auto extrication, building collapse, confined space, trench, high angle rescue, disaster/wilderness medicine, tactical/combat medicine, flight medicine, and communications.

The intent of EMPACT Northwest/EMPACT Haiti was to join their resources with Project Medishare and offer their expertise in creating a high quality, functional Emergency Medical Service (EMS) program in Haiti. Besides creating an effective ambulance service, EMPACT NW believes that citizen involvement is critical to minimizing pre-hospital injury and death. They are committed to educating professional pre-hospital providers who will in turn be tasked with delivering basic first aid education to the public and government entities such as the Haitian National Police.

Among other goals, EMPACT Haiti is committed to providing 24 hour staffing for one of our generously donated ambulances, management and oversight by EMPACT NW staff of an EMS program and its volunteers and management and training of Haitian EMS students/translators. The training of Medishare staff as EMT’s incorporates all levels of staff in the capacity building of the Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare as supported by the American Red Cross.

We are very pleased to announce that the first class graduated on September 20^th, 2011! You can see photos from the Graduation Ceremony here! This class, the first graduates of this partnership and program of its kind in Haiti, will also rotate as EMS providers and work in our Triage Unit at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare. A grant from the United Way Worldwide to Project Medishare played a major role in allowing for this group to graduate and will continue to influence the EMT program.

Armadeus Davidson PM, HCA-F, EMPACT Northwest Project Manager, EMPACT Haiti said it best; “It is an honor to serve the people of Haiti and we thank you for your participation.”

The 1st graduating class of EMT's in Haiti with the head of Haitian National Fire Service

 

A special thank you to EMPACT Northwest for your support of Project Medishare. Thank you to United Way Worldwide for your generous grant. Thank you again to the City of Miami Beach for donating the ambulances that our EMT’s will be using to save so many lives. And a big thank you to the American Red Cross for your continued commitment to our efforts to provide healthcare in Haiti.

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Meet Frantz

Allow us to introduce you to one of our young patients. Frantz is a 2-year-old boy who was abandoned at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare. Frantz was admitted to the hospital in early July for malnutrition and fever. His father said he would be back for his son but was admitted to a different hospital himself. Unfortunately, Project Medishare staff has not been able to reach him since.

Frantz is now a thriving and healthy young boy. He continues Physical Therapy everyday and receives lots of love from the families and volunteers in the pediatric department. One of the Project Medishare volunteers from this past week, Jill, gave Frantz a few new outfits and the adorable sunglasses he is wearing.

Frantz at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare

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Doctors Help a Future Haitian Doctor

In July 2011, Jimmy arrived at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare exhibiting symptoms of a rare condition called myasthenia gravis. Myasthenia gravis is a neuromuscular disorder, which involves the muscles and the nerves that control them. Our hospital staff and medical volunteers treated Jimmy. The volunteer group that week was from Eastern Health, an organization that went to Haiti with Project Medishare all the way from Newfoundland, Canada.

It was clear that Jimmy would not be able to leave our Intensive Care Unit due to needing intravenous medication every two and a half hours to control his condition. In the United States, myasthenia gravis is treated with a daily medication and patients lead very normal lives. In a third world country like Haiti, quality of life is much different with myasthenia gravis. In order to leave the hospital, Jimmy would need oral pyridostigmine, an expensive medication that is not available in Haiti. Without this medication, he would need to be an inpatient indefinitely. As a 21-year-old first-year medical student, this was a debilitating and heartbreaking realization.

Only two short weeks after the Canadian volunteer group returned home from Haiti, a one-year supply of oral pyridostigmine arrived at the Project Medishare warehouse in Miami, FL. The medication was delivered to Port-au-Prince that Saturday morning by our weekly volunteer staff.

The Intensive Care Unit coordinator at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare, Judith, gave Jimmy the medication and explained to him that with the medicine he would be able to return home and lead a normal life. Jimmy had been ill since April and was near death just a few short weeks ago. When he was asked what the first thing he wanted to do when he left the hospital, Jimmy stated, “return to medical school.”  None of the hospital staff had known he was a medical student until that moment.

Jimmy wanted us to extend his sincere thanks to the Canadian group who, by sending this medication, gave him the gift of continuing to live his life and allowing a (future) fellow doctor graduate in a country much in need of medical personnel.

Jimmy with his mother at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare

The hospital staff sends their best wishes to Jimmy and his family. And again, thank you to the Eastern Health Canadian team for sending us pyridostigmine.

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Team Zaryen US Tour Update

DENVER, Aug. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Team Zaryen, Port-au-Prince’s amputee soccer team, will tour the United States this fall, running soccer clinics for wounded members of the U.S. military and focusing attention on the great strides being made by those with disabilities in Haiti.

The tour will be co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and Project Medishare, who co-founded “Healing Haiti’s Children” – a program that has made prosthetics available to every child who lost a limb in last year’s earthquake in Port-au-Prince. All of the players on Team Zaryen have received prosthetics courtesy of this program. The earthquake in Haiti last year left thousands of amputees in its wake – many of them children and young adults.

The team and its U.S. tour are some of many positive results to have come from the “Healing Haiti’s Children” program. The program makes a multi-year course of prosthetic care and physical therapy available to every child who lost a limb as a result of the earthquake. Included in the rehabilitation is the “Return to Sport” program where Team Zaryen coaches children and youth in this fast-paced sport so that they too can enjoy the fun and excitement of sport and learn to lead normal lives.

The Knights of Columbus have committed more than $1 million to the “Healing Haiti’s Children” program through Project Medishare, which runs the premier hospital for amputees in Haiti.

“The Knights of Columbus is honored to be able to be able to help transform the lives of children and young people in Haiti and to bring healing and hope to some of the neediest people in our hemisphere,” said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. “We are very happy to have the members of Team Zaryen, who have overcome so much, with us at our convention.”

“Following the earthquake, there was a tremendous outpouring of support from the people of the United States, much of it coordinated by America’s armed forces,” said Dr. Bob Gailey, director of rehabilitation services for Project Medishare. “Team Zaryen is now looking to return the favor by running clinics for wounded American service members this fall in the United States, and we are honored to be working together with the Knights of Columbus to assist these young people in Haiti and to be providing these clinics for the U.S. military.”

A key reason for forming the soccer team was to change attitudes in Haiti and to help remove the negative stigma associated with being an amputee in Haitian society. The members of Team Zaryen believe their example will prove to the youth of their nation that despite any handicap, there are no limits to what an individual, a team, or a nation can achieve.

Project Medishare for Haiti was founded in 1994 by Drs. Barth Green and Arthur Fournier when they assembled the first team of faculty from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Nursing to assess the health status of Haitians and explore ways of rebuilding their healthcare infrastructure in a long term and meaningful way.

The Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest lay Catholic organization, with more than 1.8 million members around the world. Last year they donated more than $154 million to charity and donated more than 70 million volunteer hours to charitable causes.

Representatives from Team Zaryen with Jason Miller & Dr. Bob Gailey, Director of Rehabilitation Services for Project Medishare, at the Knights of Columbus 129th annual Supreme Convention in Denver, CO.

Special thanks to Perry Ellis for outfitting Team Zaryen for the US tour!

This article can be found on the PRNewswire by clicking here!

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Nemours Children’s Health System at Bernard Mevs

Project Medishare for Haiti would like to thank the pediatric team from Nemours for joining us at Hospital Bernard Mevs. Nemours is a Children’s Health System. Their Mission is “to provide leadership, institutions and services to restore and improve the health of children through care and programs not readily available, with one high standard of quality and distinction regardless of the recipient’s financial status.” The team that came to Hospital Bernard Mevs traveled from the Nemours hospital in Delaware. They brought down a team of six nurses, two doctors and a Respiratory Therapist. Some members of the team were actually at the Project Medishare field hospital last year. They plan on sending two more teams down to Bernard Mevs this year. The team was made up of Beth Moore, RN, Joey Muller, RN, Gail Gallagher, RN, Debra Miller, RN, Sandy Glenn-Vernon, RN, Becky Schorn, RN, Amy Renwick, MD, Edward Cullen, MD, Suzanne Moon, RT.

Suzanne Moon, RT spent a lot of time teaching Ms. Blanchard, one of the Haitian nurses training in pediatric critical care, how to use the ventilator and the different types of ventilation used in pediatrics. The rest of the team was working side by side with the Haitian nurses training them in neonatal and pediatric critical care. The team has also gathered a lot of donated supplies that they have brought to Haiti and will continue to bring more on their next two trips.

Nemours founder, Alfred I. duPont firmly believed that “it is the duty of everyone in the world to do what is within his power to alleviate human suffering.” Mr. duPont’s words and his legacy of compassion have lived on for more than 70 years through the care and services provided to children and families at Nemours. The care and services have now been shared with our staff and in turn our patients in Haiti.

Suzanne Moon, RT from Nemours training Haitian nurse, Ms. Blanchard on a pediatric ventilator.

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Generous Gift from Network Computing Architects, Inc.

Project Medishare for Haiti would like to extend a huge thank you to Network Computing Architects, Inc., a Bellevue, Washington based firm. Network Computing Architects, Inc. recently donated several pieces of high-grade network electronics to Project Medishare. These electronics are the backbone of the CT scanner imaging network located at the Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The donated goods are valued between $20,000-$25,000. Registered Technologist Dean Lee and Dr. Bill Crenshaw met with Thomas Gobeille, President and CEO of Network Computing Architects, Inc. and Lee Craft. Thomas and Lee kindly asked what else they could do to help Project Medishare and without hesitation, donated the electronics.

Thomas Gobeille is responsible for management and direction of Network Computing Architects, Inc.  His ultimate focus is on the technical sales process and providing the tools and support to drive consultative lead business solutions. Mr. Gobeille was nominated for “Entrepreneur of the Year” for the State of Washington and sits on several CEO and Operating Officer roundtables.

We are extremely grateful to Network Computing Architects, Inc., Thomas Gobeille and Lee Craft for their generous donation.

The old network electronics

Registered Technologist Dean Lee, Dr. Marlon Bitar, Dr. Jerry Bitar, Dr. Barth A. Green & Dr. Bill Crenshaw in front of the new donated network electronics

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My Project Medishare, Karen Miller

My Project Medishare
By Karen Miller

I am adventurous by nature and a traveler at heart, so last summer when I considered what the next stage of my life would look like as I headed into my thirties sent me into panic mode.  I have always wanted to do medical work overseas and it felt like my opportunity to do so was “now or never,” so it had to be now.  Aside from becoming a Nurse Anesthetist, my decision to move to Haiti last September was the best one I ever made.

Family members through CFM brought me to Haiti.  They offered me a place to stay and the emotional support that every person needs when taking on an adventure like this.  When I arrived, I didn’t know what I was getting into.  Where would I work?  How would I get around?  What exactly would I be doing?  Everything was up in the air.  I knocked on the gate of Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare, and little did I know, I was home.  The four buildings behind a large guarded orange gate would challenge me, frustrate me, reward me, and change me.  The people I saw hustling around would become dear friends, coworkers, or maybe just a nuisance, but a part of me nonetheless.

My first job assignment was to work as an anesthetist in the operating rooms.  We had new volunteers coming every week and sometimes we would have anesthesia help, and sometimes we wouldn’t.  Dorothy was my mentor, a locally trained Anesthesiologist who had the patience of a saint.  I will never forget my first patient; he was a little 5 month old with hydrocephalus.  I wasn’t used to doing pediatric cases, and the resources were so limited and unfamiliar that I wasn’t sure I could.  But, the weeks went by and I slowly became less green.

My second week, I was asked by our wonderful medical director to become the director of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the hospital.  This was intimidating for two reasons.  The first was – Director?  The second was the fact that our hospital’s ICU is the only one in the country.  We had all the ventilators, all the medications, and most of the gadgets to offer.  That meant if someone needed to be intubated and mechanically ventilated, they came to us.  If somebody needed support with medications, they came to us.  With only four beds in the ICU, it amazed me that we were not overflowing continuously.  The people of Haiti are very resilient and they can withstand almost anything thrown at them, but, just in case their defenses were down, we were there.

I can’t even begin to describe how blessed I felt to have helped each one of our patients.  As I am writing this, I can see their faces.  Some stories ended badly, some ended triumphantly, but we always tried our best with what we had.

The most rewarding part of my journey was working with Haitian ICU nurses, all of whom I grew to know and love.  When I met them, they were slightly standoffish.  Most likely they were tired of all the new faces, and medical volunteers constantly telling them the “correct” way to practice nursing.  I slowly gained their trust and their respect and together we made a great team.  With their increase in confidence came a new desire for learning; they were constantly asking great questions and studying on their own.  I started holding some classes for all the hospital nurses, and everyone loved it.  They would repeatedly ask me to teach them again.  It made me realize how much I took my education for granted during my schooling years.  Groaning about doing homework, or missing an event to study seems silly to me now.  What an amazing opportunity we have in the United States, to pick up a book in our native language and read it; to be able to research anything that comes to mind using a search engine.  I wish that everyone had the opportunities for education that I did.

Last month, as my time in Haiti was winding down, I began training one of our very talented Haitian nurses to take over my position as Director of the ICU.  She is perfect for the job and I’m so proud of her and all of the nurses for their dedication to nursing, to Hospital Bernard Mevs, and to the people of Haiti.  The ICU will still be receiving volunteers, but the nurses have really made it their own unit.

My future plans include another adventure – Boston this time.  I will begin my career as a pediatric nurse anesthetist at Children’s Hospital Boston this September.  I am very grateful for the opportunity to have learned about myself and the people of Haiti.  It has entirely changed the direction of my life.  I am also grateful to Hartville Mennonite Church and CFM for granting me that opportunity.  It would not have been possible without them!

Karen Miller with a patient at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare

From everyone at Project Medishare for Haiti:

THANK YOU KAREN, GOOD LUCK & SEE YOU AGAIN!

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Rotary International District 6990 Awards $70,000 Grant to Project Medishare

On Monday, June 27^th 2011, senior leaders of Rotary International’s District 6990, which comprises southeast Florida and Grand Bahama Island, presented a $70,000 grant commitment to Drs. Barth Green and Arthur Fournier of Project Medishare for Haiti, Inc. Drs. Green and Fournier will use the funds to provide training and equipment in the areas of radiology, ophthalmology, and laboratory work essential to providing urgent care to critically injured and ill patients at the Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

This is the second time Rotary International’s District 6990 has partnered with Project Medishare to fund work in Haiti. In 2007, the Zone 34 Rotary District gave Project Medishare $107,733 towards their nutrition program in the Central Plateau of Haiti, the poorest area of the country. “We are proud to be partnering with Project Medishare once again in their efforts towards the sustainable redevelopment of Haiti,” said Noelle A. Galperin, Rotary District 6990 Haiti Initiative Task Force Chair. “After visiting Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare, it quickly became apparent that this is an organization that is achieving ambitious goals in Haiti – training and employing Haitian doctors, nurses and health care administrators to be the future health care leaders in their country.”

Thank you Rotary International District 6990 for your continued support of Project Medishare for Haiti, Inc.  

Rotary International’s District 6990 check presentation to Project Medishare

Rotary International’s District 6990 second check presentation to Project Medishare

Rotary International is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service and help to build goodwill and peace in the world. Rotary’s global membership is approximately 1.2 million men and women who belong to more than 32,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Rotary clubs have been serving communities worldwide for more than a century. www.rotary.org

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