Not Everyday



 



Dr. JF, Nathaelle, her parents and family.  

It's not everyday at Visitation Clinic that as you finish breakfast you're told some people are waiting to see you.   The people turn out to be Nathaelle and her parents and family.  Nathaelle is a friendly15-year old who was in our clinic for two days with acute gastritus.  Her parents had sent her to us from a distant town on a motorcycle, even though there were closer hospitals and clinics.  Dr. JF had already told me the story of how Nathaelle was unresponsive to the normal antibiotic regimine and how, as her conditioned worsened, he had conferred with a surgeon in Port-au-Prince who advised us to rush her there. 




SUV to ambulance



 

As we converted our SUV to an ambulance, Dr. JF had tried a last-ditch IV of a new and potent antibiotic.  Everyone piled in for the long, late night ride with a risky outcome.   We were surprised when the vehicle returned early in the morning with promising news.   The antibiotic seemed to be working and the pain had subsided.  So  Dr. JF had detoured to Dr. Delva's (our former resident) clinic in Port-au-Prince where Nathaelle would be close to surgical help, if needed, but in good hands otherwise.  She was so improved the next day that we were able to bring her home. 

 

But why did her family want to talk to me?  With great formality, they said through an interpreter what was on their mind.  It was simple enough, "We want to thank you for saving our daughter's life."   Astonished, I tried to tell them I had nothing to do with it, that Dr. JF was the healer.   They agreed, but were not to be disuaded.  "We know", they replied, "but the clinic would not be here if it weren't for VHF.  So we want to thank you, so that you will tell everyone that they saved our daughter."   They still weren't finished.   Hesitantly they went on, "We could only send  Nathaelle to you, but we could not come until now.   She told us that everyone here was her mother and father while she was so sick."  I remembered how even our cooks were spending time with Nathaelle, comforting her and holding her hand in her distress. 

 

I could only promise to do my best to relay their gratitude.  That is the purpose of this message.  Would that every reader could have been there to see their faces.  You wouldn't soon forget them.        

 

Perhaps you would like to help future Nathaelle's.   You can do so here    

 

   





 

 

This past week Visitation Clinic was gifted with the a pediatric delegation organized by Sr. Karen Schneider, MD who is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Pediatric Medicine at Johns Hopkins University.   It was a big group consisting of six residents, three RN students, a pediatric surgeon from California, another sister who has a PhD in nursing from New York.  Some helped out at the clinic, some participated in mobile clinics, and the pediatric surgical team worked at a government hospital in nearby Miragoane.

Pediatric exams an a rural school in the Nippes Department of Haiti

 

The week began somewhat leisurely as it coincided with Carnival - Haiti's exuberant celebration of the beginning of Lent.   Still the mobile teams visited several nearby villages and screened children for a wide variety of diseases.  Healthcare needs don't take vacations, though, and when the clinic opened on Thursday, an all time high of 156 patients were at our doors.   Our staff was most grateful for the help from the states.  

PAP - II

As word spreads that women can, for the first time, get a PAP test, they have come to the clinic in record numbers.   So far this week our volunteers from New Jersey have performed 333 tests and at noon today we have over 200 waiting.  Some we won't be able to see, as we are running low on test supplies.   When you live in rural Haiti, basic tests like this are difficult to get.  In fact, this morning our administrator, Killy, emailed  that some patients were pleading, ''There's no place in the area I can do the test please let me do it'', as they were loosing hope to be seen today which is the last day.   We can only hope that our volunteers return next year, now that we all have worked out how to get the supplies.  This has been an important first for Visitation Clinic.  


Women waiting on our back porch.   Some have come from distant towns such as Petite Guave (25 miles) and Port-au-Prince (71 miles).



Even though there may a crowd outside, each patient getts individual and dignified care.   One of VHF missions is to avoid the sometimes gruff treatment that too often accompanies poverty in low-resource countries.

.   YOU CAN HELP RURAL HAITI BY DONATING HERE

First PAP

This week brings a new service to the people that Visitation Clinic serves. For the first time, women in our region will have access to PAP testing for cervical cancer. These tests, which are routine in the US, are quite rare in Haiti. In fact,  it took an unusual amount of determination and planning to make this happen. The key players were a group of doctors and technicians from New Jersey and our administrative team in Haiti. In order to perform PAP tests, we needed to get particular dyes, stains and reagents, which can't be found in Haiti and can't be carried on airplanes. In fact, it took a network of contacts and interminable phone calls to find a source in the Dominican Republic. Then it had to be purchased by an agent and shipped on a bus to Port-au-Prince, where our administrator waited  to meet it.  On Sunday our team of eight from NJ flew in with the rest of the supplies and set up a temporary second laboratory just for these tests.  So far this week, over 120 patients have been screened.     

Our auxiliary lab dedicated to PAP tests.

Cytotechnologists Rachael and Ilia



Patients waiting on the back porch.   Visitation Clinic cared for
141 patients on Tuesday - an all time high.

 

YOU CAN HELP THIS WORK ENDURE - DONATE HERE